Journal of Eurasian Studies (Issue 4)

Author: Yu Taishan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: Historians are generally tasked with restoring the original face of history, their main methods being the analysis and mastery of historical materials. Although the "historical materials" scholars refer to are often just textual records, few are willing to put in significant effort in textual research. This important textual study was completed in 1984 and was published twice previously (in "Collected Works of Zhang Xun," Ocean Publishing House, 1986, pp. 237-244, and in "Journal of Central Asian Studies," Issue 3, Zhonghua Book Company, 1990, pp. 71-76). Unfortunately, it has not received the attention it deserves from researchers, and it seems necessary to emphasize this here. Historical materials do not equate to history, but to date, what historians study is more like historical materials than history itself. All attempts to glimpse the true face of history through historical materials so far have not been entirely successful. This cannot be blamed on outdated methods; rather, it is determined by the nature of historical materials. Although historical materials cannot largely reflect the original face of history, as remnants of history, even if they are merely distorted projections of some fragments of the past, they still carry certain information from bygone days, even if twisted. It follows that the significance of restoring the original face of historical materials cannot be ignored. Mr. Zhang Danfeng's dedication to the value of textual research lies in this.