What kind of national research did this historian conduct to write a comprehensive history of 3000 years with his own efforts
"The Records of the Grand Historian" has been highly praised by later generations. Ban Gu of the Eastern Han Dynasty called it "Wen Zhi", "Shi Ke", "not empty beauty, not hidden evil, so it is called" Shi Lu ". Lu Xun, a contemporary, praised it as" the masterpiece of the historians, the rhymeless "Li Sao". Praising it as a "factual record" aims to praise its "quality"; Calling it a "swan song" is intended to praise its "culture". The combination of literary quality and beauty reflects Sima Qian's skill in collecting and selecting historical materials, as well as his ability to cut and organize them. This kind of effort and talent stems from extensive investigation and meticulous research.
"Stepping out of the study"
The Records of the Grand Historian records the history from the Yellow Emperor to Emperor Wu of Han. Sima Qian wrote a comprehensive history of three thousand years with his own efforts, and the task was quite arduous. The first challenge he faced was how to collect and select historical materials.
Textual historical materials are the most common and diverse. Sima Qian extensively read historical materials and made detailed analyses, believing that historical materials written in ancient Chinese are the most reliable. When writing "Biographies of Zhongni's Disciples", although he accepted the views of scholars at that time, believing that Confucius had more than 70 disciples, he only provided a detailed introduction to the 35 people who appeared in ancient texts.
Confucius and his disciples lived not far away from Sima Qian, and there was no sufficient information available. It is obviously more difficult to understand the situation of the Five Emperors that scholars in the Han Dynasty often discussed. When Sima Qian was writing the Annals of the Five Emperors, he could not find reliable written historical materials. As a result, he could only leave his study and carry out investigations and research. He traveled from Kongtong in the west to Zhuolu in the north, gradually to the sea in the east, and floated to the Jianghuai River in the south. He visited historical sites everywhere, collected folk literature and materials, and listened to the elderly telling various anecdotes. There are indeed many rumors among the people about the Yellow Emperor, but his writing is not elegant and docile, making it difficult to believe. Sima Qian compared the collected historical materials with those written in ancient Chinese, and accepted those that matched each other, while those that contradicted each other were questionable and awaiting further investigation.
Seeking truth is the creed of Sima Qian. Before becoming a historian and preparing to write Records of the Grand Historian, he began relevant investigations and research. At the age of 20, Sima Qian traveled south from Luoyang, crossed the Huai River, crossed the Yangtze River, glimpsed the Nine Doubts, floated the Yuan and Xiang rivers, and climbed Mount Lu to the south, overlooking the Jiujiang River that was once dredged by Emperor Yu. Afterwards, he went down the river and arrived at Kuaiji, which is now renamed Shaoxing, to investigate Taihuang and explore Yuxue. Subsequently, "Shang Gusu, View the Five Lakes" crossed the Huai River and faced the Sishui, Wenshui, and Jishui rivers. After inspecting the Shandong Peninsula, I also visited the Yellow River, Luohe River, and Luoqu during my journey back to the west.
The scope of this inspection is very broad, even in today's developed transportation, it is beyond the reach of ordinary people. However, Sima Qian was not satisfied with this. In 111 BC, he accepted the appointment of the imperial court as an envoy to the southwest, and took the opportunity to investigate the local water system, "looking west at Minshan Mountain and Lidui in Sichuan", to experience the great benefits of the Dujiangyan Irrigation Project project to the people. In 109 BC, he followed Emperor Wu of Han to the confluence of the Yellow River. He not only witnessed the spectacular scene of gathering people to build embankments, but also personally participated in the work of blocking the confluence, gaining practical experience and realizing the importance of the river canal water conservancy system. These feelings and understandings are recorded in the Book of Rivers and Canals, which enhances the credibility of the Records of the Grand Historian.
"Track your tracks"
Sima Qian was enthusiastic about investigation and research, not only to search for and select historical materials, but also to accurately understand historical events and figures, and to explore the truth of history.
"I want to see him as a person" is Sima Qian's highest praise for historical figures, and it is also the driving force behind his investigation and research. In his early years, when reading "The Book of Confucius" and "The Questions of Confucius", he admired Confucius very much. The philosopher has passed away and there is no way to meet him. The best way to express the sincerity of "heart to heart" is to conduct on-site inspections and track the deeds of Confucius.
At the age of 20, Sima Qian came to the land of Qilu to pay homage to the relics preserved in the Confucius Temple, and to investigate the local Confucian students' rituals, local drinking, and grand archery. Confucius's clothing, crown, qin, carriage, book, and other ceremonial vessels are all present, and local Confucian scholars are still teaching his teachings. This scene further stimulated Sima Qian's admiration, to the point where he was so engrossed that he couldn't leave and couldn't leave.
In Sima Qian's view, "there are many wise men and kings in the world," but most of them are each leading the way for a period of time. Only Confucius, who came from a humble background, was able to "pursue the cultivation of scriptures and techniques to achieve the way of the king, rectify the chaos of times, and uphold the principles of righteousness. Seeing his writings, he became the ruler of the world and recorded the six arts in later generations." It has been passed down for more than ten generations and still thrives and does not decline. With such emotions in mind, Sima Qian meticulously edited and organized historical materials, wrote "The Family of Confucius" and other works, praising Confucius and his disciples for their dedication to education and righteousness.
Qu Yuan is also a historical figure admired by Sima Qian. Sima Qian confessed in "Records of the Grand Historian" that he read "Li Sao", "Tian Wen", "Huan Hun", and "Ai Ying", lamenting his aspirations and "wanting to see him as a person.". For this reason, I went specifically to the water pouring place of Qu Yuan to pay my respects. The smoke in front of him reminded Sima Qian of Jia Yi, who had also been demoted to death in Changsha. The latter has written famous poems mourning Qu Yuan and, like Qu Yuan, is loyal to the monarch and patriotic, "living and dying together, go lightly.". This greatly impressed Sima Qian. As a result, it gave birth to the "Biography of Qu Yuan and Jia Sheng", which had excellent emotions.
Sima Qian also went to the birthplace and gathering place of Liu Bang and others for uprisings, visiting places such as Pengcheng, Pei, Feng, and Dang to learn about the stories of rulers and officials in the early Han Dynasty. During the investigation in Huaiyin, locals told him that Han Xin always values wealth and prosperity, always believing that he can achieve great success. "His mother died and was poor, so there was no way to bury her, but he had to camp on high and open land, so that he could have ten thousand households nearby.". In order to verify the authenticity of the rumors, Sima Qian specifically went to the tomb of Han Xin's mother to investigate, "considering his mother's tomb to be good.".
This survey result has had a significant impact on the writing of Records of the Grand Historian. Sima Qian used Han Xin's desire for profit as a clue to interpret relevant historical materials and wrote "Biographies of the Marquis of Huaiyin". In the first half of this biography, Sima Qian recorded Han Xin's strategy of offering sacrifices to Liu Bang when he first became a general. One of them is that in order to subdue the masses, one must "award meritorious officials to the cities and towns of the world.". Subsequently, the story was recorded of Han Xin urging Liu Bang to appoint Zhang Er as the King of Zhao. Zhang Er was originally a deputy general sent by Liu Bang. After forcing the King of Yan to surrender, Han Xin requested to appoint Zhang Er as the Zhao King to pacify the state of Yan. In this way, he not only removed the checks and balances sent by Liu Bang, but also turned himself into a "king maker".
In order to obtain the reward as soon as possible, Han Xin knew that Li Shiqi had successfully persuaded the King of Qi, but still attacked the state of Qi, resulting in Li Shiqi being cooked. After defeating Qi, Han Xin urgently demanded that Liu Bang crown him king. Due to the situation, Liu Bang had to fulfill his wishes. After being enfeoffed as the king, Han Xin "thought he had made many contributions, but Han never took all of us." He was willing to maintain this wealth and not accept the instigation of others to rebel.
After Liu Bang unified the country, he took Han Xin's military power by surprise and appointed him as the King of Chu. Later, he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Huaiyin. This approach will naturally anger Han Xin. Han Xin couldn't care about so much, and in the end, he plotted a rebellion and committed suicide. Before his execution, Han Xin sighed with regret, "I regret not using Kuai Tong's plan. It was a scam done by my daughter. Isn't it really heaven?".
Sima Qian directly portrayed Han Xin's tragic life in "Records of the Grand Historian" and indirectly expressed his own position. In order to further clarify his position, Sima Qian directly criticized Han Xin in the praise section, believing that he could have exchanged his merits for wealth and become the Duke of Zhou in the Han Dynasty, but he was proud of his achievements and talents, did not understand humility, and devoted himself to fame and wealth, ultimately leading to the annihilation of his clan. It was not appropriate.
If Sima Qian did not conduct investigation and research, it would be impossible to collect so many historical materials, let alone cleverly cut and organize them. The current writing style of "Biographies of the Marquis of Huaiyin," "Biographies of Qu Yuan and Jia Sheng," "Biographies of the disciples of Zhongni," "Family of Confucius," and "Annals of the Five Emperors" would not have been greatly affected in terms of their ideological and artistic qualities.
"Literacy and Beauty"
The Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin is a factual record and also a sad song. It is not an exaggeration to call it the "unrhymed Li Sao". The other parts of "Records of the Grand Historian" also reflect the spirit of factual records everywhere, while emitting a charming artistic temperament.
The Legacy of the Marquis is another example. The protagonist Zhang Liang is a strategist who has planned many earth shattering events within the strategic framework and won a decisive victory thousands of miles away. If you only read about his historical materials, you may imagine him as a burly and majestic man. Sima Qian had also speculated this way, until he later obtained a portrait of Zhang Liang and found out that Zhang Liang was "like a good woman in appearance", not only not burly, but also very weak.
Sima Qian was shocked by this and infused this sense of shock into "The Legacy of the Marquis". He always reminds readers intentionally or unintentionally that Zhang Liang is a fragile and sickly person. Firstly, he told readers that Zhang Liang was sick and could not lead troops to fight, but could only serve as a "painting strategist". Next, after Liu Bang unified the world, Zhang Liang had "multiple diseases, that is, Dao Yin did not eat grains, and Du Men did not leave their prime.". Then, he wrote about the rebellion of Qingbu and Liu Bang's expedition. Zhang Liang, unable to accompany him due to illness, insisted on being sent to Quyou. On his farewell, he was appointed as the "Young Master" and assisted the Crown Prince in overseeing the soldiers in Guanzhong. Then, Liu Bang intended to change the crown prince, but Zhang Liang refused to listen and could only ignore him due to illness. Finally, Liu Bang passed away, and Empress Lv invited Zhang Liang to a banquet, "forcing him to eat." Zhang Liang had no choice but to eat.
Such a weak and sickly person possesses extraordinary courage, a steel like will, and a broad mind that embraces all rivers. Zhang Liang, originally surnamed Ji, comes from a Korean noble family. When he was young, the state of Qin conquered Korea, and Zhang Liang aspired to seek revenge, "knowing that he would use his family wealth to seek guests and assassinate the King of Qin.". The assassination attempt was unsuccessful, and the two were wanted. Zhang Liang changed his name and went into hiding in Xiapi. After the Chen Shi Uprising, he led more than 100 young people to prepare for the anti Qin flood; Encountering Liu Bang on the way, I have been providing him with advice and advice since then; After achieving success and fame, he only wished to be granted the title of Marquis Liu, claiming that this was already the pinnacle of cloth and clothing.
Sima Qian deliberately used various comparisons to highlight the different joys and sorrows of Zhang Liang and Han Xin's lives, creating a strong artistic tension. This is an objective reproduction and also a deliberate display. Based on his research and investigation, Sima Qian cleverly selected and organized credible historical materials, vividly reproducing historical events and figures. It can be said that he also wanted to explore the relationship between heaven and humanity, understand the changes of ancient and modern times, and become a family's statement. Under the guidance of Sima Qian, readers are able to touch the edges of history, feel the power of the tide to move forward, appreciate the mountains and rivers of China, and appreciate the charm of historical figures.
What Sima Qian left for future generations was not only the literary and beautiful Records of the Grand Historian, but also valuable experience in investigation and research. Later literati loved the Records of the Grand Historian and admired Sima Qian, so they should learn from him and do a good job of investigation and research.
