Novels in the Ming Dynasty

The existing literature agree that Romance of the Three Kingdoms (San Guo Zhi Yan Yi) was written by Luo Guanzhong. Luo Guanzhong’s life experiences were little known, and related records were obscure. Different opinions existed. A relatively reliable record was Sequel Record of Ghosts written by Jia Zhongming in the early years of the Ming Dynasty about the works of poetic drama writers in the Yuan and Ming dynasties. According to this record, Luo Guanzhong lived in the late years of the Yuan Dynasty and the early years of the Ming Dynasty in about 1320–1400. In addition to Romance of the Three Kingdoms, his surviving novels include Sui Tang Zhi Zhuan, Can Tang Wu Dai Shi Yan Yi Zhuan and San Sui Ping Yao Zhuan. Another famous novel Water Margin in the Ming Dynasty was written by Luo Guanzhong as a co-writer.