Zizhi Tongjian

Author: Sima Guang of the Northern Song Dynasty
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: ▼Complete Content ▼Sandalwood Aroma ▼Compact and Lightweight ▼Original Illustrations ▼Portable
In the history of our country, there are two outstanding historians who have left a lasting legacy, both sharing the surname Sima, and thus revered as the "Two Simas." They are Sima Qian, who wrote the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), and Sima Guang, the chief compiler of the Zizhi Tongjian. The Zizhi Tongjian is a remarkable chronological history in Chinese history, traditionally ranked alongside the Shiji as the pinnacle of ancient Chinese historical scholarship.
The story of Sima Guang saving a child by smashing a jar is one we are all familiar with. In fact, this incident was already depicted in illustrations and widely circulated among the people of Luoyang and Dongjing at the time. He was not only calm and resourceful but also diligent in reading from a young age, always harboring lofty ambitions. He was a man of vast knowledge, well-versed in history, music, astronomy, metrology, and mathematics. Moreover, he maintained a strict moral character, was upright and incorruptible, and possessed the humble demeanor of a great scholar, earning admiration from the literati of his time...