Rafe de Crespigny - Publications

Publications

Some of Dr. de Crespigny's other publications include China: The Land and its People (Melbourne, 1971); China This Century ( Melbourne 1975; 2nd Edition Hong Kong 1992), both discussions of modern Chinese history. But undoubtedly his most significant works are those in relation to late Han Dynasty politics. Among these are Northern Frontier: The Policies and Strategy of the Later Han Empire (Canberra, 1984); and, To Establish Peace (Canberra, 1996), a partial translation of Sima Guang's Zizhi Tongjian. He has also written more than a dozen articles, published in such journals as Papers on Far Eastern History and Journal of the Oriental Society of Australia.

The defining work of Dr. de Crespigny's career would have to be Generals of the South, which narrates the rise of the Sun clan and the formation of the Three Kingdoms tripartite. It builds on the broad range of his translation experience and is telling about his historical interests. Like Northern Frontier, the work focuses on the narrative of strategies, campaigns and personalities. The approach owes a great deal to the narrative tradition of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Generals of the South discusses the population and development of Southern China from the second century A.D. onwards as well as the military defence of the south via the boundary of the Yangtze River. It contains the best discussion of the Battle of Red Cliffs and early Chinese riverine warfare available in English. The work also provides an important prelude to further research into the north-south division which occurred in the fifth century (see Northern and Southern Dynasties) and the cultural divisions which endured long after that.