1. In the first year of Jiajing (1522), at Zhang's suggestion, Jiajing's first edition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms was published. At that time, during the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty, there was a phenomenon of "scrambling to copy" among the people.
2. Although most of the so-called "First Year Edition of Jiajing" collected by libraries at home and abroad are revised editions or reprinted editions, these engravings are all from the original editions, so they can also be referred to as "Preface Edition of First Year of Jiajing" or "Preface Edition of Jiajing Yuan" for short.
3. The early versions of Romance of the Three Kingdoms are scattered all over the world, which is really invisible. The versions that can be seen now are all compiled by senior scholars. Among them, Jiajing's Romance of the Three Kingdoms is one of the most important versions, which provides important clues and basis for us to study the early versions of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
The Theme of Romance of the Three Kingdoms
1. The novel shows the conflict between power, justice and morality in human history through the war and political struggle in the Three Kingdoms period. By describing the history of the Three Kingdoms, the author Luo Guanzhong expressed his pursuit of social justice, morality and human kindness. This theme embodies the values of China traditional culture, which advocates justice and emphasizes morality and humanity.
2. The novel shows various qualities of human nature through characterization, such as loyalty, courage, wisdom and kindness. These qualities are not only reflected in the positive figures such as Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, but also in the negative figures such as Cao Cao and Sun Quan. This theme emphasizes the complexity and diversity of human nature, and at the same time expresses the pursuit of human good quality.
3. Through the heroic deeds of the Three Kingdoms period and war stories, the novel carries forward the national spirit and patriotic feelings. This theme emphasizes the honor and dignity of the country and the nation, but also expresses the love and loyalty to the country and the people.
4. As a historical novel, The Romance of the Three Kingdoms reflects the political, economic and cultural conditions of the society at that time through the description of historical events. This theme provides us with important reference value for understanding the ancient history and culture of China.