Romance of the Three Kingdoms

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is an epic series that covers the end of the Han Dynasty to the start of the Three Kingdoms period, which is one of the most tumultuous and fascinating periods in Chinese history. It is an epic saga of brotherhood and rivalry, of loyalty and treachery, of victory and death. As important for Chinese culture as the Homeric epics have been for the West, this fourteenth-century masterpiece continues to be loved and read throughout China as well as in Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. The story begins with the Oath of the Peach Garden, where three generals swear brotherhood to one another.


Oath of The Peach Garden:

“We three—Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei— although the surnames are different, yet we have come together as brothers. From this day forward, we shall join forces for a common purpose, and come to each other's aid in times of crisis. We shall avenge the nation from above, and pacify the citizenry from below. We seek not to be born on the same day, in the same month and in the same year. We merely hope to die on the same day, in the same month and in the same year. May the gods of heaven and earth attest to what is in our hearts. If we should ever do anything to betray our friendship, may the gods in heaven strike us dead."

~Romance of the Three Kingdoms