Comparative Text with Full Notes and Full Translation - Records of the Grand Historian (Complete 3 Volumes)

Author: None
Publisher: China Literature Press
Publishing Date: None
Features: The Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) was written by Sima Qian, the great historian and literary figure of the Han Dynasty in China. It records more than 3,000 years of historical changes, from the legendary figure Xuanyuan to the Taichu period of Emperor Wu of Han. It is divided into five parts—Biographies of the Emperors, Tables, Treatises, Genealogies of the Noble Houses, and Biographies—and comprises 130 chapters. It is not only a comprehensive historical chronicle in the annalistic style but also a literary masterpiece of exceptional artistic merit. It stands as one of the profound and unparalleled works in the history of Chinese culture. Although Shiji depicts history, it does not merely recount historical facts; instead, through its descriptions of historical figures and events, it expresses the author's social ideals and fierce critique of the dark realities of the time. Thus, the entire work becomes a hymn to love and a curse to hatred, an impassioned poem composed with the author's entire life, filled with his blood and tears. For this reason, the great litterateur, thinker, and statesman Lu Xun hailed it as "the peerless chronicle of historians and the unrhymed Lao Sha." To overcome the linguistic barriers that time has made obscure, we have specially assembled experts and scholars in classical literature to provide a fully annotated and translated edition of Shiji, enabling to achieve twice the results with half the effort in their studies and research. This book is edited by Dr. Xiao Feng, a renowned scholar, young historian, professor, and expert in classical literature.