three kingdoms volume 1

"The empire， long divided， must unite; long united， must divide. Thus is has ever been." With this characterization of the inevitable cycle of Chinese history， the monumental tale Three Kingdoms begins. As important for Chinese culture as the Homeric epics have been for the West， this Ming dynasty masterpiece continues to be read and loved throughout China as well as in Japan， Korea， and Vietnam. The novel offers a startling and unsparing view of how power is wielded， how diplomacy is conducted，