Does Feng Menglong's Chronicle of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty contain many fabricated elements? How does it compare with the history of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period?

The history of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty generally consists of two parts.

Some of them are found in historical materials, mainly referring to Historical Records, Zuo Zhuan, Warring States Policy and Mandarin. This part should be regarded as "compilation".

The other part is the author's literary creation, which reasonably infers and imagines the details not seen in the official history. This part should be regarded as "creation", that is, "writing".

From a historical point of view, A Record of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty certainly contains a lot of fiction, but its imagination of details is basically reasonable. From the literary point of view, it is convincing as the truth of art.

Many historians in the Spring and Autumn Period, such as Heather and Dong Hu, were able to record the truth of history directly. The above four historical materials also draw lessons from or even borrow the original records of historians from various countries.

There are still some superstitions, but these superstitions are still acceptable according to the scientific thinking level of the Spring and Autumn Period, Warring States Period and Ming Dynasty, where the author Feng Menglong lived. And it is undeniable that these elements also increase the drama and artistry of the Chronicle of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

The historical materials on which The History of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty is based itself contain many fictional elements, such as meeting ghosts and changing the tripod into a dragon. , and some dream interpretation, karma, nursery rhymes, prophecy, divination, etc. It's basically a fabrication.

Compared with the real history of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the history of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty basically shows the historical development process. Although major events and minor events cannot be said to be 100% true, they still have considerable credibility. The author rearranged the above four historical materials to make the history of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty more story-telling and readable.

I think the history of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty is not inferior to the Water Margin, and it is a very good book to understand the stories of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. I suggest that friends who ask questions refer to Cai's comments and the above four historical materials, and I believe there will be great gains.