Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue

Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue is the first complete English translation of Wu Yue Chunqiu, a chronicle of two neighboring states during China's Spring and Autumn period. This collection of political history, philosophy, and fictional accounts depicts the rise and fall of Wu and Yue and the rivalry between them, the inspiration for centuries of poetry, vernacular fiction, and drama.

Wu Yue Chunqiu makes use of rich sources from the past, carefully adapting and developing them into complex stories. Historical figures are transformed into distinctive characters; simple records of events are fleshed out and made tangible. The result is a nuanced record that is both a compelling narrative and a valuable historical text. As one of the earliest examples of a regional history, Wu Yue Chunqiu is also an important source for the history of what is now Zhejiang and Jiangsu.

In Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue, Jianjun He's engaging translation and extensive annotations make this significant historical and literary work accessible to an English-speaking audience for the first time.

Jianjun He is Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky.

The Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue is part of a major tradition within Chinese literature, dealing with the long drawn out and highly dramatic conflict between these two kingdoms in the early fifth century B.C.E., which culminated in the conquest of Wu by Yue. He Jianjun is to be commended for taking on the challenge of translating this book into English.

Charles Sanft, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, author of Communication and Cooperation in Early Imperial China:

The superior translation reflects the author's careful engagement with the text and effort in making this English version as readable as possible. The footnotes attest to He's ability and energy in bringing to bear other primary sources, in the original and in translation, along with relevant secondary scholarship. The extensive annotations will make it valuable for scholars and should do a great deal to ensure a positive reception of the translation.

Paul Fischer, Western Kentucky University, author of Shizi: China's First Syncretist:

This is an epic story, one relatively well-known in China (as well-known, I would say, as Homer in the West), and this text is the best and most complete telling of it. It is good history, philosophy, and literature, all in one. And the author has certainly done his homework.