Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast

Romance of the Three Kingdoms has captivated me ever since I tore through my copies of the Moss Roberts translation (so long, they split it into two volumes). Part history, part mythology and part fiction, Luo Guanzhong’s epic has been a staple of Chinese culture since the 14th century, and is one of the four must-read books of Chinese literature. This epic story covers the breakup and subsequent reunion of China during the Three Kingdoms period from 169 AD to 280 AD, and is a story of heroism, tragedy and political maneuvering that would make George R. R. Martin weep.

However, even though Moss Roberts translation is excellent, the story can be a little dense for non-Chinese and intimidating to get into, even though comics and video games based on it have been quite popular in English. This has been a problem for some English speakers who want to read the book, but aren’t sure they want to invest the time or will be able to keep up with the Chinese cultural aspects. This is a true shame, since it really is one of the great literary works of the last 2000 years.

Now, Podcaster John Zhu has set out to change that. His Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast is designed to make the story fun and accessible, and is a bit like being told an epic story by your favorite High School history teacher. He not only reads the story, but annotates it and does his best to provide context for the reader as he works his way through all 120 chapters of the book. Part audiobook, part history lesson, the ROT3K Podcast is your chance to sit back and experience this amazing story for yourself- so what are you waiting for!

Rob

P.S. There is also a Youtube Channel version here, for those who like their audio from YouTube for whatever reason.

 

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