Abstract:
Historical Records (Shiji) is the most famous Chinese historical
work, which not only established a pattern for later Chinese historical
writing, but was also much admired for its literary qualities,
not only in China, but also in Japan, where it became available as
early as the eighth century ad.
What makes it particularly remarkable to the modern eye is the
complexity of its construction. It is not a mere narrative history.
There are five sections: first come the basic annals, then the
chronological tables, then treatises concerning the history of matters
considered to be of importance to the state, then histories of
states which existed prior to the unification of China, and finally
a section which is largely biographical. The whole massive work,
in 130 chapters, is meant to contain a history of the Chinese world
from the beginning down to about 100 bc, the time when it was
being written.
