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Chu-Han chunqiu 楚漢春秋

Oct 1, 2013 © Ulrich Theobald

Chu-Han chunqiu 楚漢春秋 "Spring and Autumn Between the Kingdoms of Chu and Han" was a chronicle on the wars between the warlords Xiang Yu 項羽, the Hegemonial King of West-Chu 西楚霸王, and Liu Bang 劉邦 (the eventual Emperor Gaozu 漢高祖, r. 206/02-195 BCE) after the downfall of the Qin dynasty 秦 (221-206 BCE), and of the first decades of the Han period 漢 (206 BCE-220 CE) until the early years of the reign of Emperor Wen 漢文帝 (r. 180-157 BCE).

The book was compiled by Lu Jia 陸賈 (d. 170 BCE), one of the early ministers of the Han. It is several times quoted in commentaries on the history Shiji, but after the Tang period 唐 (618-907) the Chu-Han chunqiu was lost. It is not sure now long the original was (statements in various bibliographies range from 9 to 20 juan). Fragments of the text were compiled by the Qing-period 清 (1644-1911) collector Mao Panlin 茆泮林 (d. 1845). The collection it to be found in the series Shi zhong guyi shu 十種古逸書 and Longxi jingshe congshu 龍谿精舍叢書.

Sources:
Li Bingzhong 李秉忠, Wei Canjin 衛燦金, Lin Conglong 林從龍 (ed. 1990), Jianming wenshi zhishi cidian 簡明文史知識詞典 (Xi'an: Shaanxi renmin chubanshe), p. 722.
Wang Songling 王松齡 (ed. 1991), Shiyong Zhongguo lishi zhishi cidian 實用中國歷史知識辭典 (Changchun: Jilin wenshi chubanshe), p. 703.