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史记 Records of the Grand Historian - Terrible price paid to complete epic work
December 30, 2012, Sunday
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"SHI Ji," or "Records of the Grand Historian," is widely regarded as the first systematic historical text of China, presented chiefly in a series of biographies. It covers nearly 3,000 years, extending from the ancient period of the Yellow Emperor around 2600 BC to the reign of Emperor Wu of Han (156-87 BC).
The grand historical book was authored by Sima Qian (circa 145-90 BC), known as the father of Chinese historiography, between 109 and 91 BC. Born and raised in Longmen, today's Hancheng in northwest China's Shaanxi Province during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), Sima came from a family of astrologers. When only 10, he began to study the Chinese classics and later became a student of Kong Anguo and Dong Zhongshu, two Confucian masters of that time.
When he reached 20, with support from his father, Sima Tan, who served as the Prefect of the Grand Scribes of Emperor Wu, the young Sima embarked on a major journey. He explored almost every corner of the country to collect first-hand information and verify the legends and stories about historical events and figures.
He visited the hometowns of Confucius and fellow philosopher Mencius, walked on the Great Wall, inspected ancient battlefields of central China and toured many parts south of the Yangtze River.
The journey not only widened the young man's vision and enriched his knowledge, it also laid a solid foundation for him to pursue a career as a top-class historian.
In 110 BC, the elder Sima fell sick. Believing he might not recover, he summoned his son back and entrusted him with the task of continuing the compilation of the first full history of China that he had started.
After having inherited from his father the position of grand historian to the emperor, Sima took on the project begun by his father and in 109 BC began to compile the ambitious historical work.
But in 99 BC, he became embroiled in an imperial court power struggle and as a punishment the emperor gave him two choices: death or castration.
For a gentleman at that time, it was harder to accept castration than to commit suicide. But Sima decided to take the former choice, as he knew he had a mission to accomplish.
After the humiliating punishment, Sima began to spend every minute of his life writing the historical record. Eventually, he completed the grand project in 91 BC, a year before he died.
Sima's magnum opus, written in about 526,500 Chinese characters, was divided into 130 volumes, including basic annals of dynasties and rulers, chronological tables, treatises, biographies of the feudal houses and eminent people, as well as biographies of important individual figures.
The author devoted 12 volumes to biographies of all important rulers in history, such as the Yellow Emperor, Qin Shi Huang (the First Emperor of China) and the first four emperors of the Western Han Dynasty; 10 volumes to timelines of events; 30 volumes to biographies of feudal lords and nobles; and 70 volumes to biographies of important individual figures, such as Lao Zi and Mo Zi, preeminent philosophers in ancient China.
In addition, he wrote eight volumes of treaties on economics, calendars, water conservancy, astronomy, music, rites and other topics of the time.
Sima's objective and vivid descriptions of historical events and figures won him wide acclaim and his writing style was followed by many Chinese writers, historians and novelists in the following centuries. Also, his work has served as a paradigm for subsequent Chinese dynastic histories.
Sima himself and many of the interesting stories recorded in the "Records of the Grand Historian" have been turned into numerous movies, TV dramas, novels, poems, paintings and other works in China.
The grand historical book was authored by Sima Qian (circa 145-90 BC), known as the father of Chinese historiography, between 109 and 91 BC. Born and raised in Longmen, today's Hancheng in northwest China's Shaanxi Province during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 25), Sima came from a family of astrologers. When only 10, he began to study the Chinese classics and later became a student of Kong Anguo and Dong Zhongshu, two Confucian masters of that time.
When he reached 20, with support from his father, Sima Tan, who served as the Prefect of the Grand Scribes of Emperor Wu, the young Sima embarked on a major journey. He explored almost every corner of the country to collect first-hand information and verify the legends and stories about historical events and figures.
He visited the hometowns of Confucius and fellow philosopher Mencius, walked on the Great Wall, inspected ancient battlefields of central China and toured many parts south of the Yangtze River.
The journey not only widened the young man's vision and enriched his knowledge, it also laid a solid foundation for him to pursue a career as a top-class historian.
In 110 BC, the elder Sima fell sick. Believing he might not recover, he summoned his son back and entrusted him with the task of continuing the compilation of the first full history of China that he had started.
After having inherited from his father the position of grand historian to the emperor, Sima took on the project begun by his father and in 109 BC began to compile the ambitious historical work.
But in 99 BC, he became embroiled in an imperial court power struggle and as a punishment the emperor gave him two choices: death or castration.
For a gentleman at that time, it was harder to accept castration than to commit suicide. But Sima decided to take the former choice, as he knew he had a mission to accomplish.
After the humiliating punishment, Sima began to spend every minute of his life writing the historical record. Eventually, he completed the grand project in 91 BC, a year before he died.
Sima's magnum opus, written in about 526,500 Chinese characters, was divided into 130 volumes, including basic annals of dynasties and rulers, chronological tables, treatises, biographies of the feudal houses and eminent people, as well as biographies of important individual figures.
The author devoted 12 volumes to biographies of all important rulers in history, such as the Yellow Emperor, Qin Shi Huang (the First Emperor of China) and the first four emperors of the Western Han Dynasty; 10 volumes to timelines of events; 30 volumes to biographies of feudal lords and nobles; and 70 volumes to biographies of important individual figures, such as Lao Zi and Mo Zi, preeminent philosophers in ancient China.
In addition, he wrote eight volumes of treaties on economics, calendars, water conservancy, astronomy, music, rites and other topics of the time.
Sima's objective and vivid descriptions of historical events and figures won him wide acclaim and his writing style was followed by many Chinese writers, historians and novelists in the following centuries. Also, his work has served as a paradigm for subsequent Chinese dynastic histories.
Sima himself and many of the interesting stories recorded in the "Records of the Grand Historian" have been turned into numerous movies, TV dramas, novels, poems, paintings and other works in China.
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