Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Sima Qian (about 145- 90 BCE), or Ssi-ma Chien, inherited from his father the position of grand historian
to the Emperor, which had been a position largely concerned with keeping astronomical records. However,
Sima Qian also took on an ambitious project started by his fatherproduction of the first full history of
China. This broad ranging work extending over 130 chapters is not in historical sequence but divided into
particular subjects, including annals, chronicles, treatiseson music, ceremonies, calendars, religion,
economicsand extended biographies. In this way, the Shih chi, or Records of the Historian, covers the
period from the Five Sages of prehistoric times, through the Xia, Shang, Zhou, and Qin dynasties to the
Han dynasty of Sima Qians own time. The Zhou dynasty, probably founded just before 1,000 BCE,
represents the beginning of the historic period and has provided archeological evidence that confirms some
of Sima Qians history.
The extracts give here are taken from the annals of the Qin dynasty (221-206 BCE) and from the
biographical chapter on the First Emperor. This emperor unified China, built the Great Wall, ordered the
burning of books, and was responsible for the army of life-size terracotta figures discovered near his
mausoleum. Sima Qin presents us with historical facts, with the Emperors own account of his reign, and
with a commentary by a Han statesman, Jia Yi, in the Second Century BCE. In this way he shows how
different views of history may emerge and how a rulers claims should be viewed with some suspicion.
Sima Qian made the political mistake of seeking to intercede for a general who had lost a battle when faced
by overwhelming forces. This offended the Han Emperor Wu, who sentenced Sima Qian to castration. Such
a sentence was calculated to cause an honorable suicide. Sima Qian, however, accepted the punishment
and consequent disgrace in order to finish his history, as he explained in a letter to a friend. We are
indebted to Sima Qian for most of the history we have of early China and for his demonstration that some
things are more important than personal honor.
Source
Records of the Grand Historian: Quin Dynasty, by Sima Qian, translated by Burton Watson. Research
Center for Translation, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Columbia University Press, 1993.
1993 The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
http://www.humanistictexts.org/simaqian.htm