Ssu-ma kuang (1019-1086) was one of the greatest Chinese historians and a leading conservative statesman.

The family home of Ssu-ma Kuang was in Shan-chou, Shansi, but he was born, on Nov. 17, 1019, in Kuang-shan, Hunan, where his father was serving as subprefect. Ssu-ma's mother was the daughter of an editor of the imperial archives. Ssu-ma is said to have been a precocious child, filled with enthusiasm at the age of 6 for the Tso-chuan, the great historical work in the form of a commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals. He passed the highest civil service examination in 1038 at the age of 19 and obtained the chin-shih degree, thereby qualifying for appointment as an official.

After serving in a number of official posts in the provinces and in the capital, including a tour in the Institute of History, Ssu-ma became administrator of the Bureau of Policy Criticism in 1061 and went on...