Spring and Autumn History (Corrected Edition): A Collection of Modern Historians

Author: Tong Shuyi, edited by Tong Jiaoying
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Features: This History of the Spring and Autumn Period was originally a lecture note used by Professor Guo Jiegang at Peking University and Beijing University. Although I wrote it, the purpose was entirely in line with Professor Guo's (hence some arguments in the book may not align with my views). After the incident, I took this lecture note to Anqing and then to Shanghai, never leaving it even in the most difficult times. Last summer, I received a letter from Professor Guo from Chengdu, asking me to write History of the Spring and Autumn Period for Tsinghua University. I replied that the style of the lecture note was good and that I had put considerable effort into writing it. Discarding it would be a pity; instead, I suggested revising and expanding the note, which would serve both popular and specialized purposes. Professor Guo agreed, but said: "This book is written by you, and since we are in distant places, it's impossible for us to discuss it in detail. You may publish it under your name!" I followed his instructions and began revising it last winter. Due to various commitments, I only managed to complete it in June this year. The gaps in the original draft have been largely filled, errors corrected, and the format slightly adjusted. While it may not be entirely satisfactory, I have put my heart into it (the text is slightly verbose in places, but since it was reviewed by Professor Guo, I kept it mostly unchanged except for necessary revisions). The book is divided into two parts: "Main Text" and "Commentaries." The main text is approximately 160,000 words, and the commentaries are planned to be 200,000 words. The main text uses a narrative style (with references to commentaries where necessary) and is written in simple language, avoiding direct quotes unless absolutely necessary. The commentaries follow the style of Cui Dongyi's Record of Verified Histories and are titled Spring and Autumn Verified Histories (which can be seen as a continuation of Cui's work). They can stand alone or be combined with the main text. The materials for the commentaries have been mostly collected, but I was unable to start writing them due to the current situation and personal matters, so I had to set them aside for now. Fortunately, the main text is self-contained and can be published first. Only the th chapter has footnotes, as chapters two and beyond have separate commentaries to avoid repetition (since the commentaries are titled Spring and Autumn Verified Histories as a continuation of Cui's work, there is no need to trace back to earlier periods, so these commentaries are included as notes in the main text. Because they are commentaries rather than notes, they are somewhat lengthy, and the use of classical Chinese is also due to this reason).
I have always believed that in writing general history, every major event should be detailed from its origins to its consequences, and the connections between different eras should not be broken. To adhere to this principle, this book centers on the history of the Spring and Autumn Period while briefly covering the history from the remote antiquity to the Western Zhou (becoming more concise as it gets closer to the present). I originally wrote a chapter titled "Brief History of the Western Zhou" to accompany the main text, but since my friend Yang Kuanzheng (Kuan) was also writing Brief History of the Warring States Period for Tsinghua University, and its style was identical to this History of the Spring and Autumn Period, we decided to combine them. Therefore, I deleted the already written "Brief History of the Warring States Period" and its notes, which were about 20,000 words, to avoid repetition.
Regarding chronology, the main text uses traditional Chinese era names for most events, as the exact dates before the Warring States Period are difficult to determine. Using traditional Chinese chronology is more reliable and easier to reference. Since there are many chronology books available, readers who wish to know the corresponding Gregorian dates for minor events can easily look them up. For important places, I have included modern locations below, while less significant or uncertain places are generally omitted.
There are also differences in the arguments between the main text and the commentaries. The main text focuses on popular understanding, avoiding personal opinions that are not yet widely accepted, except when necessary. However, the commentaries include more new theories, as they are intended to express personal insights.