Three Kingdoms

At the end of Han was the period of Three Kingdoms. As the name suggests, there were then three kingdoms contending to succeed Han to form a new dynasty. The history of this period was written in the Record of Three Kingdoms. A novel The Romance of Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong, was based partly on the historical record. The novel is a very popular and exciting book for children and adults alike. It is a book of strategies, in war and in love affairs. A contemporary Chinese politician or diplomat can benefit from studying the strategies in the book, provided that she maintains her moral character. There are strategies for both offense and defense. Since there are three parties, any one can play the second against the third. This happened many times in the novel, and in actual history. The available strategies in a competition involving three parties are much more interesting and complicated than in a competition between only two. Perhaps there is something in the novel for the game theorists of today to study, although I have not thought much about the stories from the perspective of game theory.

One of the kingdoms finally won, after many interesting turns of events. The Jin dynasty was established, lasting from 265–420 AD. Because of the invasions of the nomadic people from the north, the country became fragmented. A succession of dynasties lasted from 304–589 AD. In spite of the political disunity, or perhaps because of the wars, there was progress in technology, including the invention of the gunpowder and the wheelbarrow and the improvement of Chinese medicine during the later part of this period.