The following year Qin unified all under Heaven and the title of August Emperor was immediately adopted.' The short-lived Qin dynasty unified China in 221 BC and created an imperial legacy that lasted until 1911. The extraordinary story of the First Emperor, founder of the dynasty, is told in the Historical Records of Sima Qian, the Grand Historiographer and the most famous Chinese historian. He describes the Emperor's birth and the assassination attempt on his life, as well as the political and often brutal events that led to the founding of the dynasty and its aftermath. Sima Qian recounts the building of the Great Wall, the 'burning of the books', and the construction of the First Emperor's magnificent tomb, a tomb now world famous since the discovery of the terracotta warriors in 1974. Sima Qian's love of anecdote ensures that his history is never dull, and Raymond Dawson's fluent translation captures his lively and vivid style. Chronicling recent archaeological developments and questioning Sima Qian's biases, K. E. Brashier's preface highlights the importance of the Grand Historiographer's account and Dawson's translation in the twenty-first century. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
Sima Qian (145?-90? BCE) was the first major Chinese historian. His Shiji, or Records of the Grand Historian, documents the history of China and its neighboring countries from the ancient past to his own time. These three volumes cover the Qin and Han dynasties.
The Shi Ji (Historic Records) collects 130 volumes, written by Sima Qian in Xihan, with detailed records of the previous era from the legendary Yellow Emperor, down to the first year of Yuanshou in Xihan period, covering a total of 3,000 years of history. A masterpiece that took 18 years to produce, the Shi Ji deals with major events and personalities, through 3 millennia, comprising 130 chapters and totaling more than 520,000 words. The Shi Ji was not only the first general history of its kind attempted in China, but it also set a pattern in organization for dynastic histories of subsequent ages. As a result the Shi Ji (Historic Records) was widely circulated in ancient times. Through the years later scholars often added annotations, the most influential by Liu Song Pei Yin "Shi Ji Jijie", Sima Zhen "ShiJi Suoyin" in Tang Dynasty and Zhang Shoujie "Shi Ji Zhengyi" in Tang Dynasty, commonly known as the "three notes." The earliest inscribed edition of Shi Ji (Historic Records) is the Chunhua Edition from the Song dynasty (in 994), but is lost to history. This edition of Songke Shisihangben Shi Ji (Fourteen Lines Song Engraved - Historic Records) is traced to the earliest version of the collection and as a result was of great influence to other, later editions making it an exciting addition to the scholarship of ancient China.
Sima Qian (145?-90? BCE) was the first major Chinese historian. His Shiji, or Records of the Grand Historian, documents the history of China and its neighboring countries from the ancient past to his own time. These three volumes cover the Qin and Han dynasties.
This project will result in the first complete translation of the Shih chi (The Grand Scribe s Records), one of the most important narratives in traditional China. Ssu-ma Ch ien (145-c.86 B.C.), who compiled the work, is known as the Herodotus of China. -- Publisher.
This project will result in the first complete translation of the Shih chi (The Grand Scribe s Records), one of the most important narratives in traditional China. Ssu-ma Ch ien (145-c.86 B.C.), who compiled the work, is known as the Herodotus of China. -- Publisher.
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