Classics of the Records of the Grand Historian

Author: Beijing Publishing House
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: In the history of Chinese culture, Shiji stands as an unattainable pinnacle for later generations. Sima Qian devoted almost his entire life to completing this monumental work. He chronicled history from the Five Emperors to the Taichu period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, spanning over three thousand years. He read countless books, traveled extensively, roamed the world, poured out his heart and soul, and pioneered the genre of comprehensive historical records. Shiji is not only a significant summary of pre-Qin culture but also a primary source for the social, political, and economic life of the Western Han Dynasty. Mr. Lu Xun highly praised the cultural value of Shiji, calling it "the peerless song of historians, an unrhymed Li Sao." Shiji is comprehensive in content, complete in structure, grand in scale, and stands as an unprecedentedly large book in ancient China. It is also a foundational work in Chinese historiography, embodying the highest achievement of Han Dynasty prose, becoming a model for generations of prose, and serving as the origin of Chinese biographical literature. It has recorded countless historical and cultural relics for later generations and released the brilliant radiance of Sima Qian as a cultural master of his time. His spirit of seeking truth from facts, his progressive historical, national, and economic perspectives, as well as his views on life, values, literature, and aesthetics, are all clearly reflected in this great work. Subsequent studies on Shiji have become a specialized field, attracting countless scholars and experts to delve into and contemplate its rich and profound.