Sima Qian's Shiji: The Birth of Historiography (c. 100–90 BCE)

100 BCE · Chang'an · cultural

The "Records of the Grand Historian" (Shiji), in 130 books, laid the foundation of Chinese historiography with a biographical and thematic arrangement covering everyone from emperors to ordinary people; Sima Qian was castrated for defending Li Ling, yet completed his work.

| The model for modern Chinese historiography and for East Asian history writing; it corresponds to Herodotus and Thucydides in the West.

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Frequently asked questions

What was Sima Qian's Shiji: The Birth of Historiography (c. 100–90 BCE)?
The "Records of the Grand Historian" (Shiji), in 130 books, laid the foundation of Chinese historiography with a biographical and thematic arrangement covering everyone from emperors to ordinary people; Sima Qian was castrated for defending Li Ling, yet completed his work.
When did Sima Qian's Shiji: The Birth of Historiography (c. 100–90 BCE) happen?
100 BCE
Where did Sima Qian's Shiji: The Birth of Historiography (c. 100–90 BCE) take place?
Chang'an