Biography Of Cao Cao

Though denigrated by later generations, Cao Cao was a military and political hero of China, restoring a measure of order from the ruins of Later Han. From historical records and his own writings, this book reinterprets his life and achievements.

Cao Cao (About this pronunciation [tsʰǎu tsʰáu]; Chinese: 曹操; c. 155 – 15 March 220),courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese warlord and the penultimate Chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty who rose to great power in the final years of the dynasty. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and ultimately the Jin dynasty, and was posthumously honoured as "Emperor Wu of Wei". He is often portrayed as a cruel and merciless tyrant in subsequent literature; however, he has also been praised as a brilliant ruler and military genius who treated his subordinates like his family. During the fall of the Eastern Han dynasty, Cao Cao was able to secure the most populated and prosperous cities of the central plains and northern China. Cao Cao had much success as the Han chancellor, but his handling of the Han Emperor Xian was heavily criticised and resulted in a continued and then escalated civil war. Opposition directly gathered around warlords Liu Bei and Sun Quan, whom Cao Cao was unable to quell. Cao Cao was also skilled in poetry, calligraphy and martial arts and wrote many war journals.

Cho Zhi (192-323) was the son of Cao Cao (155-220), the famous -- sometimes thought infamous -- adventurer, general and politician at the end of the Later Han dynasty (25-220). Cao Zhi was a younger son but had such great talent that there was at one time a prospect that he might become his father's heir. If that had happened he could have been a king. However, his elder brother, Cao Pi (187-226), became the heir and the two brothers' rivalry over this question had a major effect on Cao Zhi's life.Their rivalry was probably aggravated by Cao Pi's jealousy of Cao Zhi's brilliance and greater poetic gifts, and possibly over a woman who, according to some stories, inspired one of Cao Zhi's greatest poems. After Cao Cao's death, China became formally divided into the Three Kingdoms which gave their name to that period of Chinese history. Many of the traditional stories in early Chinese novels and plays derived from that period. But, in all the stirring doings at the time -- the "Robin Hood" age of China -- Cao Zhi played little part. With all his gifts, his faults of character and the distrust of his brother, by now King of Wei, frustrated his chance of giving real service to the state. Many of his poems reflect that frustration.Cao Zhi is, however, a far from unimportant figure in Chinese literary history. He lived at a time of division, of change and of constant warfare and popular distress. Buddhism was spreading fast and new poetical forms were coming into use. Cao Zhi is one of the first figures in Chinese history to be remembered as a poet alone, and not as an emperor, statesman or general who also wrote poetry. He also wrote essays which contained some of the earliest literary criticism of writers of his age. He was also renowned as a calligrapher -- and as a bon viveur. His life was in large part a tragedy of wasted gifts -- but he does not lack touches of comedy.

This book provides a translation of the complete poems and fu of Cao Zhi (192–232), one of China’s most famous poets. Cao Zhi lived during a tumultuous age, a time of intrepid figures and of bold and violent acts that have captured the Chinese imagination across the centuries. His father Cao Cao (155–220) became the most powerful leader in a divided empire, and on his death, Cao Zhi’s elder brother Cao Pi (187–226) engineered the abdication of the last Han emperor, establishing himself as the founding emperor of the Wei Dynasty (220–265). Although Cao Zhi wanted to play an active role in government and military matters, he was not allowed to do so, and he is remembered as a writer. The Poetry of Cao Zhi contains in its body one hundred twenty-eight pieces of poetry and fu. The extant editions of Cao Zhi’s writings differ in the number of pieces they contain and present many textual variants. The translations in this volume are based on a valuable edition of Cao’s works by Ding Yan (1794–1875), and are supplemented by robust annotations, a brief biography of Cao Zhi, and an introduction to the poetry by the translator.

"The Three Kingdoms gives us The Iliad of China. First of the five great works of traditional prose fiction, this master narrative transforms history into epic and has thereby educated and entertained readers of five centuries with unforgettable exemplars of martial and civic virtue, of personal fidelity and political treachery. Moss Roberts's translation, the first complete rendering in English, is one of surpassing excellence and impeccable scholarship. It should delight and captivate Western readers for many more years to come."—Anthony C. Yu, University of Chicago

This publication is the long-awaited complement to Michael Loewe's acclaimed Biographical Dictionary of the Qin, Former Han and Xin Periods (2000). With more than 8,000 entries, based upon historical records and surviving inscriptions, the comprehensive Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23-220 AD) now provides information on men and women of the Chinese world who lived at the time of Later (or Eastern) Han, from Liu Xiu, founding Emperor Guangwu (reg. 24-57), to the celebrated warlord Cao Cao (155-220) at the end of the dynasty. The entries, including surnames, personal names, styles and dates, are accompanied by maps, genealogical tables and indexes, with lists of books and special accounts of women. These features, together with the convenient surveys of the history and the administrative structure of the dynasty, will make Rafe de Crespigny's work an indispensable tool for any further serious study of a significant but comparatively neglected period of imperial China.

“A material epic with an astonishing fidelity to history."—New York Times Book Review Three Kingdoms tells the story of the fateful last reign of the Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220), when the Chinese empire was divided into three warring kingdoms. Writing some twelve hundred years later, the Ming author Luo Guanzhong drew on histories, dramas, and poems portraying the crisis to fashion a sophisticated, compelling narrative that has become the Chinese national epic. This abridged edition captures the novel's intimate and unsparing view of how power is wielded, how diplomacy is conducted, and how wars are planned and fought. As important for Chinese culture as the Homeric epics have been for the West, this Ming dynasty masterpiece continues to be widely influential in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam and remains a great work of world literature.