Book of Han

Author: Ma Yushan / Hu Xulin
Commentary:
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Publication Date: 2004-10-01
Features: Ban Gu's Book of Han, although it corrected the shortcomings of Records of the Grand Historian based on his father's comments, the advocacy for dynastic history was his original innovation. He thus preserved the literature while upholding the purpose of glorifying the merits of his own dynasty. This innovation had a profound impact. The scope of his work was broader than that of Records of the Grand Historian: it encompassed heaven, earth, spirits, deities, human affairs, politics, morality, art, and literature. — Zhu Ziqing, Classics for Everyday Reading
Records of the Grand Historian was written by a single individual, while Book of Han was compiled by four. The tables and treatises were completed by Cao Dajia (Ban Gu's sister, married to Cao Shishu, where "Jia" means "aunt") and Ma Xu; the chronicles and biographies were based on Ban Biao's Post-Transmission from Emperor Zhao of Han to Emperor Ping of Han. For the period from Emperor Gaozu to Emperor Wu, more text was borrowed from Records of the Grand Historian. Ban Gu edited and refined the existing text, truly embodying the principle of "transmitting without creating." However, his revisions were carefully considered, far from being hastily written. — Zhu Ziqing, Classics for Everyday Reading
Ban Gu (32–92 CE), styled Mengjian, studied the style of Records of the Grand Historian and wrote China's first dynastic history, Book of Han. Book of Han is China's first chronicle-style dynastic history. It is one of the most important historical works of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 CE), written by the Eastern Han historian Ban Gu. The book covers over two hundred years of the Western Han Dynasty, from Emperor Gaozu (Liu Bang) to Emperor Ping and Wang Mang, making it China's first dynastic history. Ban Biao, Ban Gu's father, wrote Post-Transmission in sixty-five chapters after Records of the Grand Historian. After Ban Biao's death, Ban Gu took up his father's work and completed Book of Han, consisting of one hundred chapters. The book was compiled by Ban Biao, Ban Gu, Ban Zhao, and Ma Xu, with a grand and elegant style, accurate accounts, and impartial perspectives. It is listed alongside Records of the Grand Historian, History of the Later Han, and History of the Three Kingdoms as the "Four Great Histories," highly regarded by historians. The continuity of Chinese culture over five thousand years is reflected in the unbroken series of twenty-four histories, with each dynasty's official history following the style of Book of Han, demonstrating its significance. Countless allusions and scholarly works originate from it, and without reading Book of Han, one cannot appreciate its charm.
Book of Han consists of one hundred and twenty chapters. Compared to History of the Later Han, it is also known as History of the Former Han. It primarily records the history from the first year of Emperor Gaozu (206 BCE) to the fourth year of Emperor Di of Wang Mang (23 CE), covering two hundred and thirty years. It is China's first chronicle-style dynastic history and another important historical work after Records of the Grand Historian. This monumental historical work includes twelve "chronicles" detailing the deeds of Western Han emperors, seventy "biographies" covering the lives of various figures, ethnic minorities, and foreign countries, ten "treatises" focusing on institutions, astronomy, geography, and social phenomena, and eight "tables." The entire book has 800,000 words, with rich and detailed historical materials. The part before Emperor Wu of Han is largely based on Records of the Grand Historian. Book of Han largely follows the style of Records of the Grand Historian, but it merges the "houses" of Records of the Grand Historian into "biographies," renames "books" as "treatises," and is divided into chronicles, tables, treatises, and biographies. The ten treatises of Book of Han are larger in scale than the eight books of Records of the Grand Historian, with four additional treatises on Criminal Law, Five Elements, Geography, and Literature that were absent in Records of the Grand Historian. Book of Han draws on the strengths of many previous historical works, building on Records of the Grand Historian and Post-Transmission, resulting in a narrative that is both elegant and detailed, thorough and well-organized. However, Ban Gu was dependent on the consort clan of Dou Xian and was obsessed with fame and fortune. In Book of Han, he glorified the ruling elite and catered to the will of the rulers, thereby denying certain achievements of Records of the Grand Historian in some aspects.