Sima Qian (c. 145 or 135 BCE – ?) was a preeminent historian and literary figure of the Western Han dynasty. His courtesy name was Zichang, and he was born in Xiayang (south of present-day Hancheng, Shaanxi). He was the son of Sima Tan, the Grand Historian (Taishi) of Emperor Wu’s court.
In his youth, Sima Qian undertook extensive travels along the Yangtze and Yellow River basins, personally visiting historic sites and collecting oral and documentary sources – laying the empirical groundwork for his future historical writing. In 108 BCE (the third year of Yuanfeng), he succeeded his father as Grand Historian (Taishi Ling), gaining privileged access to the imperial archives and royal library.
Later, he incurred the wrath of Emperor Wu by defending General Li Ling, who had surrendered to the Xiongnu after a disastrous military campaign. Accused of defaming the emperor, Sima Qian was imprisoned and sentenced to ‘gongxing’ (castration) – a humiliating punishment reserved for serious offenses.
After his release, he was appointed Palace Secretary (Zhongshu Ling), a post typically held by eunuchs. Despite his personal suffering, he channeled his anguish into completing his life’s work: the Shiji (Records of the Grand Historian).
The Shiji chronicles Chinese history from the legendary Yellow Emperor down to the reign of Emperor Wu – a span of roughly 3,000 years. It is China’s first comprehensive biographical universal history, organized into five sections: Basic Annals, Chronological Tables, Treatises, Hereditary Houses, and Biographies. Its narrative vividness, moral depth, and literary artistry set a benchmark for all later Chinese historiography.
Modern writer Lu Xun famously praised it as “the supreme masterpiece of historians, the Li Sao without rhyme” – comparing its emotional and literary power to Qu Yuan‘s great poetic lament.
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