"Romance of the Three Kingdoms", a popular classic, undoubtedly portrays vivid characters in the hearts of the majority of readers. When the Three Kingdoms returned to the Jin Dynasty, the historical figures of the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms and the Northern and Southern Dynasties did not seem to leave too many marks, and for many people, it was indeed difficult to mention the ten familiar figures of this period. But when it comes to the heroes of the Three Kingdoms, many readers can even count the fifty of them. This creates the illusion that this history has become a blank slate, with few heroes. However, we cannot ignore that from the Jin Dynasty to the Northern Dynasties, many talents have actually emerged on the land of China. It's just that their stories have not been widely circulated, quietly shining in the long river of history.
There are three reasons why I think this:
First, the three countries have a high degree of attention.
Dig deep into the theme of the Three Kingdoms and show its colorful side. As we all know, the reason why the Three Kingdoms are well-known is because of the endless number of works on related themes. The TV series of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and the wide spread of **, the emergence of various games, ** film and television and other works have added endless brilliance to the Three Kingdoms. And these creators are also well versed in the audience's preferences, and they have created an unstoppable story of the Three Kingdoms in a targeted manner, so that this history will be passed on through the ages and be fresh for a long time.
Second: the historical record is confusing.
Compared with the history of the Three Kingdoms, the historical records of the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms of the Jin Dynasty are quite confusing, like an intricate picture, which is dazzling. It is a pity that many important historical materials were lost during this period. For example, the historical materials of the former Qin Dynasty are seriously missing, as if a huge puzzle piece suddenly lost several key pieces, making it difficult for future generations to get a glimpse of its full picture. And a fire by Emperor Xiao Yi of Liang Yuan in Jiangling City burned up to 140,000 precious books, making the truth of that period of history even more confusing.
Due to the lack of historical books, it is almost impossible to talk about people's understanding of this period of history. Even those who are knowledgeable can only make inferences and speculations with the help of the remaining historical sources. For the majority of ordinary readers, the complexity and confusion of this history make them even less interested in in-depth understanding. In the river of history, this magnificent era seems to have become an isolated island that no one cares about, which is regrettable and emotional.
Third: the dark chapter of the Five Chaos of China.
During the Cao Wei period, the Central Plains Dynasty was still able to fight the Xiongnu strongly. However, in the Jin Dynasty, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and the Xiongnu turned against the guest and set foot in the Central Plains. For many lovers of Chinese history, they are more inclined to celebrate those glorious times, such as the heroic struggle against the Xiongnu in the Han Dynasty, the Wanguo Dynasty in the Tang Dynasty, and the ocean journey of Zheng He in the Ming Dynasty.
During the period from the Jin Dynasty to the Northern Dynasties, the foreign Hu people entrenched in the land of China, which is undoubtedly regarded as a history of national humiliation. And the usurpation of the Sima family by winning the country made people deeply disgusted with this dynasty. The subsequent regimes were all established by the Hu people, which made many readers even more disdainful of this period of history.
History of the Three Kingdoms