Lü Simian's Notes on Reading History (Upper, Middle, and Lower) (Revised Edition) -- Collected Works of Lü Simian

Author: Lu Simian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-12-01
Features: Lu Simian (1884-1957), styled Chengzhi, was born into a scholarly family in Changzhou, Jiangsu. He received early education from his parents and teachers, and entered the county school at the age of 15. In his early years, he taught at Xishan Primary School and Changzhou Prefecture Middle School, where some of his students later became prominent figures in Chinese literature and history, such as Qian Mu and Zhao Yuanren. After 1926, he taught at Changsha University for many years and, after the liberation, became a professor at East China Normal University. He was a well-read scholar who emphasized comprehensive research, advocating for the integration of knowledge. Throughout his life, he wrote two comprehensive histories of China, four dynastic histories, five specialized histories, and a large volume of highly regarded historical notes, totaling over 10 million words. Representative works include Baihua Guobie Shigao (Colloquial History of China), Xianqin Shigao (History of the Pre-Qin Period), Qinhan Shigao (History of the Qin and Han Dynasties), Liangjin Nanyizhoushi (History of the Northern and Southern Dynasties), Sui Tang Wudaishi (History of the Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties), and Lu Simian’s Historical Notes. Among these, some of Lu Simian’s historical notes were compiled into books. Due to historical reasons, the published notes (except Yanshi Zaji) have all been edited to varying degrees. This reprinted and revised edition of Lu Simian’s Historical Notes compiles all of Lu’s published and unpublished notes, totaling 762 entries and over a million words. The edited portions have been fully restored and completed according to the original text. Readers can not only see the "complete" version of Lu Simian’s historical notes but also gain insights into methods of studying history and further research topics.