Sima Qian : The First Emperor selections from the Historical Records

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.