«The Romance of the Three Kingdoms» and Mao’s Global Order of Tripolarity

This book examines the impact of classical Chinese literature on Mao Zedong’s political rhetoric and his vision of a tripolar geopolitical landscape at the peak of the Cold War. The historical novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms , in which two weaker sovereign powers (Shu and Wu) collude to defend themselves against the dominance of another power (Wei), is here identified as a particular inspiration for Mao in building a Sino-Soviet alliance in opposition to the powerful United States. This