Story Masterclass: The Story Masterclass Series

Author: Sun Junshan
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-09-01
Features: Sima Qian possessed a progressive historical view and a fair critical spirit toward social realities. His progressive ideas were reflected in Records of the Grand Historian in four aspects: exposing and satirizing the feudal ruling class, especially the highest ruling group of the Han Dynasty; reflecting the resistance of the common people against feudal tyranny; enthusiastically praising and affirming a series of lower-class figures; depicting a series of patriotic heroes. Records of the Grand Historian was not only a historical "record" but also had considerable literary value. Its artistry was first manifested in the successful creation of numerous vividly characterized figures using authentic historical materials. In character portrayal, Sima Qian strove to unify history, characters, and themes, bringing history to life and making characters lifelike. He was also very skilled in placing characters in sharp conflicts of interest, completing character development through their words and actions. The narrative in Records of the Grand Historian was concise and vivid, especially the dramatic scenes, which further enhanced the work's appeal. Sima Qian rarely used parallel prose that was elaborate and ornate, instead forming his own simple, refined, and fluent language style that was both leisurely and dignified, yet rich in variation. The language of Records of the Grand Historian has long been regarded as the highest achievement of "ancient prose." Sima Qian (145 BC–87 BC?), styled Zichang, was a native of Xiaoyang, left commandery of Fu (now Hancheng, Shaanxi). His father, Sima Tan, had extensive learning and had studied the celestial observations with Tang Du, the Book of Changes with Yang He, and the Daoist doctrines with Huangzi. He also wrote an essay titled "On the Essentials of the Six Schools," criticizing Confucianism, Mohism, Names, Legalism, and the Five Elements, while completely praising Daoism, indicating his deep influence by the prevailing Huang-Lao thought of the time. The clear thinking and critical spirit demonstrated in this essay undoubtedly provided a good inspiration for Sima Qian's later biographies of the pre-Qin philosophers and also inevitably influenced his thoughts, character, and academic attitude. After Emperor Wu of Han ascended the throne, Sima Tan became the Grand Historian and moved his family to Chang'an for convenience. Before that, Sima Qian "farmed and grazed on the banks of the Yellow River," helping his family with agricultural labor, while likely studying the popular script of the time— clerical script. After moving to Chang'an with his father, he learned "ancient script" (such as the Zvoushu and ancient script in the Shuowen Jiezi) and studied the Gongyang school of the Spring and Autumn Annals with Dong Zhongshu and the ancient script Book of Documents with Kong An. These had a profound influence on the young Sima Qian. At the age of twenty, Sima Qian began his travels, as he described in the Preface to the Grand Historian's Biographies of Records of the Grand Historian: "At twenty, I traveled south to Jianghuai, ascended Mount Kuaiji, explored the cave of Yu, planned the Nine Mysterious Mountains, and floated on the Yuan and Xiang rivers. I crossed the Min and Si rivers to the north, studied in the capitals of Qi and Lu, observed the legacy of Confucius, and practiced archery in Zou and Yan. I suffered hardships in Po, Xue, Pengcheng, and passed through Liang and Chu to return." After returning, he became a minor official; later, he was sent west to explore Bashu and south to survey Qiong, Zha, and Kunming. He also traveled more places as an escort to Emperor Wu on his tours and sacrificial rites. These practical experiences enriched Sima Qian's historical knowledge and life experience, broadened his horizons, and more importantly, allowed him to engage with the economic lives of the common people and understand their thoughts, feelings, and aspirations. This was of great significance to his later writing of Records of the Grand Historian. In the first year of Yuanfeng (110 BC), Emperor Wu traveled east to sacrifice at Mount Tai. The feudal ruling class considered this a rare and grand occasion. Sima Tan, unable to attend due to illness, remained in Luoyang and died in anger and despair. Sima Qian, returning from the southwest at that time, left his dream of writing history to his son. Sima Qian tearfully said, "I am not capable, but I will thoroughly complete the old tales left by my father without leaving any gaps!" Three years later, Sima Qian succeeded his father as the Grand Historian. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to his duties, "cutting off ties with guests and abandoning his family's business, day and night thinking of how to use his inadequate talents, and dedicating himself to pleasing the emperor." He began reading and organizing historical materials in the "Golden Treasury and Stone Chamber," the state repository. After four or five years of preparation, in the first year of Taichu (104 BC), after leading the reform of the Xuanxu calendar to the Xia calendar, he began his work of continuing the Spring and Autumn Annals, formally writing Records of the Grand Historian to fulfill his father's of recording the world's events. That year, Sima Qian was forty-two. Just as Sima Qian was, great disaster struck him. In the second year of Tianhan (99 BC), Li Ling rebelled against the Xiongnu and surrendered, causing shock in the court. Sima Qian believed Li Ling's surrender was out of necessity and would seek an opportunity to repay the Han Dynasty. When Emperor Wu asked for his opinion on the matter, Sima Qian shared his thoughts. Enraged, Emperor Wu thought Sima Qian was defending Li Ling and using it to undermine General Li Guangli. Sima Qian thus incurred the wrath of the emperor and was imprisoned in the "silkworm room" and subjected to the "decay punishment" in the third year of Tianhan. This was a great humiliation and devastation to him. He considered death but thought of his unfinished work and should not die lightly. He finally drew inspiration from the experiences of ancient sages and heroes—such as "Western Bo's imprisonment and the evolution of the Book of Changes," "Confucius's suffering and the writing of the Spring and Autumn Annals," "Qu Yuan's exile and the writing of Li Sao," and "Zuo Qiu's blindness and the Book of the States"—and decided to "endure extreme punishment without resentment" and "endure and survive" to fulfill his dream of writing. After his release, Sima Qian was promoted to the position of Chief Secretary, which, though higher in name than the Grand Historian, was merely a "servant of the inner court" and no different from a eunuch, thus easily reminding him of the humiliation he had suffered. "Every time I think of this shame, sweat never fails to soak my clothes." Yet his writing career gained greater strength from this, and he expressed his anger and indignation over his misfortune in several chapters of Records of the Grand Historian. By the fourth year of Taishi (93 BC), in a letter to his friend Ren An, Sima Qian wrote: "Recently, I have tried to gather lost and scattered historical records from all over the world, to verify them through actions, and to examine the principles of their success, failure, rise, and decline. There are one hundred and thirty chapters in total." This shows that Records of the Grand Historian was basically completed by this time. After that, little is known about his deeds, and he likely died in the later years of Emperor Wu. His life spanned almost the entire reign of Emperor Wu. Sima Qian accepted Confucian thought and consciously inherited the cause of Confucius, viewing his work as a second Spring and Autumn Annals. However, he did not recognize the exclusive status of Confucianism and was also influenced by other schools, especially Daoism. His thought contained materialist elements and a critical spirit, and his personal experiences further strengthened his rebellious nature. Ban Biao and Ban Gu criticized Sima Qian for being "somewhat at odds with the sages in his judgments: when discussing the great way, he placed Huang-Lao before the Six Classics; when narrating the wandering knights, he promoted the unscrupulous over the recluses; when describing the merchants, he glorified power and despised the poor and humble." This only shows that Sima Qian's thought was higher than that of many of his contemporaries and could not be understood by some feudal orthodox literati. Today, it is precisely from these criticisms by feudal orthodox literati that we see the important aspects of Sima Qian's progressive thought. Records of the Grand Historian is a landmark in the history of Chinese historiography, a great work that "investigates the relationship between heaven and man, connects the past and the present, and forms a unique voice," representing Sima Qian's invaluable contribution to Chinese culture, especially to the field of historiography. The book includes one hundred and thirty chapters, totaling 526,500 words. "Basic Annals" (with the exception of the Annals of Qin) narrate the deeds of the highest rulers of each dynasty; "Tables" are brief chronicles of major events in different historical periods, serving as links and supplements to the narrative; "Books" are documents on specific events, describing the development and current state of astronomy, calendar, water conservancy, economy, culture, and art, similar to specialized scientific histories of later times; "Households" mainly narrate the history of noble lords and kings; "Biographies" are primarily accounts of people of different types and classes, with a few being about rulers of foreign lands and ethnic minorities in China. Records of the Grand Historian constitutes a complete system through these five different formats and their mutual coordination and supplementation. Its narration spans from the Yellow Emperor to Emperor Wu's Taichu era (104–101 BC), comprehensively describing the historical development of China's ancient to early Han periods in politics, economy, and culture, representing a great summary of ancient Chinese history. In addition to Records of the Grand Historian, the Book of Han's Arts and Literature Catalogue lists eight odes, of which only one, Lament for the Unlucky Scholars, survives, along with the famous Letter to Ren An. The Letter to Ren An expresses his pain and determination to endure humiliation to complete his work, serving as an important source for studying Sima Qian's life and thought and as a masterpiece of emotionally rich prose. Lament for the Unlucky Scholars is also a late work, expressing the author's anger and frustration after suffering the decay punishment and refusing to be "unknown in death." Due to space constraints, this book can only select important excerpts. Some chapters may not have strong narrative elements or even a complete story, so they must be supplemented with other historical records and academic works to break the limitations of the annals-style format and enrich the narrative content while enhancing its storytelling. For parts with stronger narrative elements, they are basically excerpted as they are. In the selection of chapters, this book respects the historical span of Records of the Grand Historian, including selections from the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns to Emperor Wu, forming a relatively continuous historical narrative and allowing readers to roughly grasp the rich cultural and historical connotations of Records of the Grand Historian.