History of the Han Dynasty (Volume 1, 2, and 3)

Author: Ban Gu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: The Book of Han, also known as The Former Han Book, is a historical record in the annalistic and biographical style, a dynastic history of China. It follows the format of The Records of the Grand Historian with some modifications, changing "books" to "annals" and "household histories" to "biographies," composed of four parts: chronicles, tables, treatises, and biographies. Since The Book of Han, subsequent dynasties imitated its format to compile other annalistic and biographical dynastic histories. The Book of Han was written by Ban Gu, a historian of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Ban Gu (32–92 AD), styled Mengjian, was from Anling in Fufeng (now eastern Xianyang, Shaanxi). He came from a wealthy and imperial family. His father, Ban Biao, served as the magistrate of Wangdu during the reign of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han. Ban Biao was a learned and versatile scholar, specializing in historical texts and a renowned Confucian master. Dissatisfied with many of the continuations of The Records of the Grand Historian, he "collected the lost stories of former dynasties and integrated diverse anecdotes" (The Book of the Later Han·Biography of Ban Biao, "Later Biography," 65 chapters, to continue The Records of the Grand Historian. Ban Gu was born into this scholarly family and could compose poetry and prose by the age of nine, entering the Imperial Academy in Luoyang at the age of sixteen. He, delved into the doctrines of the Hundred Schools of Thought, and was well-versed in the history of the Han Dynasty. In the 30th year of the Jianwu era (54 AD), Ban Gu returned to his hometown due to his father's death and organized Ban Biao's Later Biography. In the first year of Emperor Mingdi's Yongping era (58 AD), Ban Gu began compiling The Book of Han. Five years later, someone accused him of privately altering the national history, leading to his arrest. His younger brother, Ban Chao, rushed to Luoyang to defend him. When Emperor Mingdi reviewed the draft submitted by local officials, he greatly admired Ban Gu's talent and appointed him as an official in the Lantai Bureau, responsible for managing archives and reviewing documents. Later, he was promoted to a position overseeing secretarial affairs. During this time, Emperor Mingdi allowed him to continue compiling The Book of Han. Ban Gu, along with Chen Zong, Yin Min, and Meng Yi, completed The Annals of the World, and later wrote 28 chapters of biographies and records on prominent figures, the Pinglin faction, and Gongsun Shu. In the fourth year of Emperor Zhangdi's Jianchu era (79 AD), Emperor Zhangdi gathered Confucian scholars at the White Tiger Pavilion to discuss the differences and orthodoxies of the Five Classics, establishing the orthodox Confucianism. Ban Gu was tasked with "compiling the events," resulting in The White Tiger Doctrine of Virtue (also known as The White Tiger Doctrine of Righteousness). In the early years of Emperor He's Yongyuan era (89 AD), Ban Gu served as a deputy commander of the Imperial Guards under General Dou Xian in campaigns against the northern Xiongnu. In the fourth year of the Yongyuan era (92 AD), Dou Xian, accused of plotting rebellion as an imperial relative, committed suicide, and Ban Gu was implicated, first dismissed from his post, and later arrested on the pretext of an insult by the mayor of Luoyang, Zhong Jing, who had been humiliated by Ban Gu's household slaves. Ban Gu died in prison shortly thereafter. Ban Gu began compiling The Book of Han in the early Yongping era and completed it in the seventh year of the Jianchu era (82 AD), a process that spanned 25 years. The book covers 230 years of Western Han history, from the rebellion of Emperor Gaozu of Han (Liu Bang) against the Qin Dynasty to the downfall of the Xin Dynasty under Wang Mang. It includes 12 chronicles, 8 tables, 10 treatises, and 70 biographies, totaling 100 chapters. Among them, 8 tables and the Treatise on Astronomy were left unfinished, later completed by his sister, Ban Zhao, and Ma Xun of Fufeng. Thus, The Book of Han was compiled by four hands: Ban Biao, Ban Gu, Ban Zhao, and Ma Xun. The Book of Han followed the format of The Records of the Grand Historian but made some changes and innovations. In the chronicles, The Book of Han did not use the term "chronicles" but instead called them "annals" (e.g., The Annals of Emperor Gaozu), adding the Annals of Emperor Hui to supplement the gaps in The Records of the Grand Historian. Following the Annals of Emperor Wu, it continued with the Annals of Emperors Zhao, Xuan, Yuan, Cheng, Ai, and Ping. The Book of Han removed The Annals of Xiang Yu from The Records of the Grand Historian and moved Xiang Yu's to the biographies, creating The Biographies of Chen Sheng and Xiang Yu. For Wang Mang, who ruled for over a decade, The Book of Han did not create a separate chronicle but included him in the biographies under The Biography of Wang Mang. In the tables, The Book of Han established eight tables, six of which were based on the relevant tables in The Records of the Grand Historian, primarily recording the deeds of figures from the Han Dynasty. The Table of People from Antiquity to the Present and the Table of Officials and Ministers were newly created by The Book of Han. The Table of People from Antiquity to the Present was named "Antiquity to the Present" but only covered historical figures up to the Chu-Han period, divided into nine categories, earning criticism for not adhering to the annalistic format. Among the eight tables, the Table of Officials and Ministers. This table is divided into two parts: the first part provides textual descriptions of the establishment, scope of authority, salaries, and evolution of official positions during the Qin and Han dynasties; the second part lists tables of various official positions, recording promotions, demotions, dismissals, and providing a comprehensive introduction to the Han Dynasty's bureaucratic system. In the treatises, The Book of Han changed The Records of the Grand Historian's "books" to "treatises" and expanded and developed the eight treatises, forming the historical treatise style in Chinese historiography. The treatises in The Book of Han include the Treatise on Law and Calendar, Treatise on Rites and Music, Treatise on Criminal Law, Treatise on Finance and Trade, Treatise on Sacrifices, Treatise on Astronomy, Treatise on Five Elements, Treatise on Geography, Treatise on Waterways, and Treatise on Literature. Six of these treatises were renamed or merged: Treatise on Law and Calendar, Treatise on Rites and Music, Treatise on Finance and Trade, Treatise on Sacrifices, Treatise on Astronomy, and Treatise on Waterways, with their content either differing or modified. For example, the Treatise on Finance and Trade inherited material from The Book of Equivalents while adding new content, divided into upper and lower volumes. The upper volume discusses "food," narrating agricultural economic conditions, while the lower volume covers "commodities," introducing industrial, commercial, and monetary matters. The Treatise on Sacrifices, Treatise on Astronomy, and Treatise on Waterways were also expanded based on The Book of Sacrifices, The Book of the Heavenly Offices, and The Book of River and Canal Systems, respectively. Additionally, the Treatise on Criminal Law, Treatise on Five Elements, Treatise on Geography, and Treatise on Literature were newly created by The Book of Han. The Treatise on Literature records the origins, developments, and achievements of various disciplines and schools of thought in ancient Chinese academia, as well as the collection of imperial archives during the Han Dynasty, making it a surviving work of directory studies. In the biographies, The Book of Han followed the tradition of The Records of the Grand Historian. However, it did not include "household histories" and moved all figures from the Records of the Grand Historian's "household histories" to the biographies. Some appendices from The Records of the Grand Historian were expanded into separate or combined biographies, such as Zhang Qian, Dong Zhongshu, and Li Ling. The Book of Han, while inheriting The Records of the Grand Historian, also differed from it in three ways. First, The Book of Han was deeply influenced by feudal orthodox thought. During Ban Gu's time, feudal theological thought had become the dominant ideology, and the Ban family, as historians who "sought to fully embody the way of the sages," naturally took it upon themselves to uphold feudal theology, using the "way of the sages" as the guiding principle of their work. Thus, while inheriting the content of The Records of the Grand Historian, the author also criticized its "discrepancies with the way of the sages," altering its perspectives to align with feudal orthodox thought. The book deified the authority of the Western Han emperors and upheld the Han Dynasty as the orthodox ruling house, serving to justify the legitimacy of the Eastern Han Dynasty and deify its imperial authority. Therefore, the feudal theological doctrine of the "five elements theory" and the belief in the divine grant of sovereignty became the dominant ideology of The Book of Han. To promote the feudal theological idea of "heaven-earth interaction" and omens, The Book of Han pioneered the Treatise on Five Elements, which recorded the mystical doctrines of five elements omens, and created the biography The Biographies of Wu Xi, Xia Hou Jing, Jing Yi, and Li, which documented the deeds of five elements scholars. Second, The Book of Han pioneered the practice of writing history for specific dynasties and standardized the annalistic and biographical style of compilation. Ban Gu's decision to write history for a specific dynasty was not accidental but rather met the demands of the time. He summarized the historical works of the Han Dynasty from Emperor Wu to the early Eastern Han, adding creative developments to serve the political needs of the ruling class. Ban Gu believed that the universal history format of The Records of the Grand Historian placed the Western Han Dynasty "at the end of the hundred kings and among the Qin and Xiang," neither promoting "Han virtue" nor highlighting the historical significance of the Han Dynasty. This was the basis for writing history for a specific dynasty in The Book of Han. Thus, The Book of Han "encompassed an entire dynasty," with a starting point at the establishment of the Western Han and an endpoint at the fall of the Xin Dynasty. To highlight Liu Bang, the Annals of Emperor Gaozu were placed first. This annalistic style was praised by later feudal historians and became the basis for compiling "orthodox histories" in subsequent dynasties. In terms of compilation, The Book of Han inherited and developed the form of The Records of the Grand Historian, making the annalistic and biographical style more complete. For example, although The Records of the Grand Historian included The Annals of Empress Lü, it used the era name of Emperor Hui, so The Book of Han added The Annals of Emperor Hui, resolving the inconsistencies in the format of The Records of the Grand Historian. It also recorded years and months more clearly and explicitly than The Records of the Grand Historian. Furthermore, the four newly created treatises in The Book of Han provided more comprehensive records of the political, economic, social, and cultural systems of the Western Han, enhancing its historical value. In the arrangement of biographies, The Book of Han generally followed the chronological order, with a more uniform and standardized format than The Records of the Grand Historian. Third, The Book of Han was rich in sources, preserving many important historical documents. The existing The Book of Han is approximately 800,000 words, with a larger volume than The Records of the Grand Historian. It includes many important edicts, primarily in the chronicles. In many biographies, The Book of Han also includes a large number of memorials, policy proposals, writings, and letters related to politics, economy, military, and culture. Among the ten treatises of The Book of Han, there are also similar important historical documents, such as the Treatise on Finance and Trade including Chang Jiao's Memorial on the Value of Grain. The Book of Han also supplemented The Records of the Grand Historian with materials on the history of ethnic groups both within and outside China. For example, based on The Records of the Grand Historian·Biography of the Xiongnu, The Book of Han added many historical facts after Emperor Wu, providing a more complete account of the history of the Xiongnu from ancient times to the end of the Western Han Dynasty. The Book of Han also merged the biographies of the Nanyue, Dongye, Joseon, and Southwest Yi from The Records of the Grand Historian, writing a more detailed combined biography after supplementing substantial historical facts, titled The Biographies of Southwest Yi, Nanyue, and Joseon. Meanwhile, The Book of Han changed The Records of the Grand Historian·Biography of Da Yuan to The Biography of the Western Regions, recording the history of various ethnic groups in modern Xinjiang, as well as the history of Central Asia and Southwest Asia. The Book of Han used many ancient characters and meanings, making the text difficult to understand, so even contemporaries of Ban Gu had to write annotations to interpret its meaning. According to the Sui Book·Bibliography, nearly 20 families wrote annotations for The Book of Han during the Eastern Han to the Southern and Northern Dynasties period, with most focusing on phonetic and semantic annotations. Regarding the annotations of The Book of Han, those by families before the Tang Dynasty have been lost. The existing annotations of The Book of Han are those compiled by Yan Shi in the Tang Dynasty, which are considered relatively complete.