Historical Stories: The Households Chapter

Author: Sima Qian
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: Originally titled Records of the Grand Historian. Compiled by Sima Qian of the Western Han Dynasty. It consists of 130 chapters and is considered China's first historical chronicle in the biographical style. It was completed approximately between the first year of the Taichu era (104 BCE) and the second year of the Zhenghe era (91 BCE) of Emperor Wu of Han. Sima Qian served as a historian and drew upon sources such as Zuo Zhuan, Guoyu, Shiben, Zhan Guo Ce, Chu-Han Chronicles, and the works of the Hundred Schools of Thought. He utilized state-collected documents and supplemented them with field research, resulting in rich material. The chronicles begin with the legendary Yellow Emperor and end with Emperor Wu of Han, covering a span of about 3,000 years, with particular emphasis on the Warring States period, the Qin Dynasty, and the Han Dynasty. The structure divides biographies into Basic Annals, Hereditary Houses, and Biographies, while the Eight Treatises document institutional changes and the Ten Tables outline the chronological flow of history, both of which were adopted by later dynasties. Records of the Grand Historian is renowned for its vivid and vivid descriptions of certain historical figures, holding a significant position in literary history.