Records of the Grand Historian – Shiji

Originally titled Taishi Gong Shu (“Book of the Grand Historian”), the Shiji was compiled by Sima Qian (c. 145–c. 86 BCE) during the Western Han dynasty. It is China’s first comprehensive biographical universal history (jizhuanti tongshi), covering approximately three millennia – from the legendary Yellow Emperor to the reign of Emperor Wu of Han (r. 141–87 BCE) – with especially rich detail on the Warring States, Qin, and early Han periods.

Sima Qian drew upon a vast array of sources, including earlier historical texts such as the Zuo Zhuan (Commentary of Zuo) and Guoyu (Discourses of the States), philosophical works of the Hundred Schools of Thought, archival materials from the imperial library, and firsthand accounts gathered during his extensive travels across China. This synthesis of documentary rigor and empirical fieldwork gave the Shiji unprecedented breadth and depth.

The work comprises 130 chapters, organized into five interlocking sections:

• 12 “Basic Annals” (Benji): chronicles of sovereigns, serving as the structural backbone;
• 30 “Hereditary Houses” (Shijia): narratives of feudal lords and noble lineages;
• 70 “Biographies” (Liezhuan): lives of statesmen, generals, philosophers, merchants, assassins, and even foreign peoples;
• 10 “Tables” (Biao): chronological charts of dynastic successions and key events;
• 8 “Treatises” (Shu): systematic expositions on rituals, music, astronomy, economics, water control, and other institutional frameworks.

Each chapter concludes with Sima Qian’s reflective commentary introduced by “Taishi Gong yue” (“The Grand Historian remarks…”), offering moral judgment, historical insight, or personal sentiment – often blending objectivity with profound empathy.

This innovative five-part structure became the standard model for all subsequent official dynastic histories in China. Beyond its historiographical significance, the Shiji is celebrated as a literary masterpiece: its vivid character portrayals, dramatic narrative pacing, and eloquent prose set a benchmark in classical Chinese literature.

Modern writer Lu Xun famously lauded it as “the supreme song of historians, the Li Sao without rhyme” – comparing its emotional power and artistic brilliance to Qu Yuan‘s great lyrical poem, while affirming its unmatched status in historical writing.