SOURCE: Dawson, Raymond. Introduction to Sima Qian: Historical Records, translated by Raymond Dawson, pp. vii-xxii. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1994.

In the following introduction to his translation of Shih chi, Dawson presents an overview of Qian's historical, political, and philosophical context.

Historical Records (Shiji) is the most famous Chinese historical work, which not only established a pattern for later Chinese historical writing, but was also much admired for its literary qualities, not only in China, but also in Japan, where it became available as early as the eighth century ad.

What makes it particularly remarkable to the modern eye is the complexity of its construction. It is not a mere narrative history. There are five sections: first come the basic annals, then the chronological tables, then treatises concerning the history of matters considered to be of importance to the state, then histories of states which existed prior to...