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In The Grand Scribe's Records: Volume X, readers can follow Ssu-ma
Qian's depiction of the later years of the reign of Emperor Wu of
the Han (r. 140-87 BC). The volume begins with four chapters
describing the Han's attempts to subdue states north, east, south
and west of the empire. The subsequent long biography of Ssu-ma
Hsiang-ju (179-117) presents one of the era's major literary
figures who came to oppose the Emperor's expensive military
campaigns against these states. It is followed by an equally
extended portrayal of Liu An (d. 122), King of Huai-nan, who was
seen as an internal threat and forced to commit suicide. The final
chapters recount narratives of the ideal officials (all predating
the Han) and the Confucians the Emperor championed.
Sima Qian (first century BCE), the author of Record of the
Historian (Shiji), is China's earliest and best-known historian,
and his "Letter to Ren An" is the most famous letter in Chinese
history. In the letter, Sima Qian explains his decision to finish
his life's work, the first comprehensive history of China, instead
of honorably committing suicide following his castration for
"deceiving the emperor." In the twentieth and twenty-first
centuries, some scholars have queried the authenticity of the
letter. Is it a genuine piece of writing by Sima Qian or an early
work of literary impersonation? The Letter to Ren An and Sima
Qian's Legacy provides a full translation of the letter and uses
different methods to explore issues in textual history. It also
shows how ideas about friendship, loyalty, factionalism, and
authorship encoded in the letter have far-reaching implications for
the study of China.
Sima Qian (first century BCE), the author of Record of the
Historian (Shiji), is China's earliest and best-known historian,
and his "Letter to Ren An" is the most famous letter in Chinese
history. In the letter, Sima Qian explains his decision to finish
his life's work, the first comprehensive history of China, instead
of honorably committing suicide following his castration for
"deceiving the emperor." In the twentieth and twenty-first
centuries, some scholars have queried the authenticity of the
letter. Is it a genuine piece of writing by Sima Qian or an early
work of literary impersonation? The Letter to Ren An and Sima
Qian's Legacy provides a full translation of the letter and uses
different methods to explore issues in textual history. It also
shows how ideas about friendship, loyalty, factionalism, and
authorship encoded in the letter have far-reaching implications for
the study of China.
The 16 chapters translated herein continue the biographies of
individuals in pre-Han China presented in volume seven of The Grand
Scribe's Records. The reader is introduced to the major supporters
and rivals of the founders of the Han Dynasty: the generals,
advisors, strategists, and ministers who helped to shape the
foundations of the first sustained empire in Chinese history.
Although these men were often of common stock, they influenced the
development of many aspects of the Han culture, a culture which in
turn served as a model for subsequent eras. Based on oral and
written accounts as well as on administrative records, these
biographies range stylistically from anecdotal tales to repetitious
reports of achievements in battle. The failure of the first five
Han emperors to trust the loyalty of their subordinates is a
leitmotif in many of these chapters. But the individual motifs that
echo other sections of the Grand Scribe's Records unrecognized
heroes, both loyal and disloyal retainers, broken friendships, and
faithless lovers also appear in these pages."
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