Wei Shu (1-8)

Author: Wei Shou of Northern Qi
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1974-01-01
Features: The Wei Shu consists of 124 volumes, including 12 volumes of chronicles, 92 volumes of biographies, and 20 volumes of treatises. Due to some chronicles, biographies, and treatises being excessively long, they were further divided into upper, lower, or upper, middle, and lower volumes, resulting in a total of 130 volumes. Written by Wei Shou of Northern Qi. The Xianbei people were an ancient ethnic group in the eastern foothills of the Greater Khingan Mountains in Northeast China. In the late 1st century CE, as the Xiongnu Empire disintegrated, the Xianbei gradually migrated westward, becoming a powerful ethnic group in the Gobi Desert. In the early 3rd century CE, the leader of the Tuoba Xianbei, Yilu, established the state of Dai in the northern frontier. In 376 CE, the state of Dai was destroyed by the Former Qin, a state established by the Di people. In 386 CE, the Tuoba Xianbei tribes once again elected Tuoba Gui as the ruler of Dai, restoring the state. Tuoba Gui dissolved the original tribal organization of the Tuoba Xianbei, adopted settled agriculture, moved the capital to Pingcheng, and in 398 CE renamed the state as Wei, which became known as Northern Wei in history. Due to its absorption of advanced Han culture, the Northern Wei grew increasingly powerful and ultimately unified Northern China in 439 CE, ending the turmoil of the Sixteen Kingdoms period. In 493 CE, Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei moved the capital to Luoyang, changed his surname to Yuan, and implemented a series of Sinicization reforms. During the reign of Emperor Xuanwu of Northern Wei, the state reached its peak, capturing Hanzhong in the west, probing into Sichuan, consolidating defenses around Luoyang in the east, and competing with the Liang Dynasty for control of Huainan. However, it soon collapsed due to political corruption and popular resistance, splitting into the Eastern Wei and Western Wei, two rival states. The Wei Shu records the history of the Tuoba Xianbei from their early period up to 550 CE, when the Eastern Wei was replaced by Northern Qi. During Tuoba Gui's reign, Deng Yuan was ordered to compile the Dai Ji in 10 volumes, arranging the state's historical events chronologically. In the second year of the Shengjia era under Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei, an edict was issued to compile the Guo Ji, which was standardized as a chronological history by Cui Hao, resulting in a 30-volume work. The Wei Shu suffered significant losses during its transmission, with 2 volumes of chronicles and 22 volumes of biographies missing, as well as three incomplete volumes that were later supplemented by other historical texts. Wei Shou was a native of Xiaqiyang in Julu, Northern Qi, styled Boqi, and known by the diminutive Fuzhu. He was sharp-witted and skilled in writing, alongside Wen Zixing and Xing Zicai, forming the "Three Wits" of Northern Qi. However, he was considered frivolous and was nicknamed "the startled butterfly." When commissioned to write the Wei Shu, he claimed, "What insignificant youth dares to oppose Wei Shou in demeanor? Raise him, and he will ascend to heaven; press him, and he will descend to the underworld." After the book's completion, public outcry arose, labeling it the "filthy history," and Wei Shou revised it three times before settling on the definitive version.