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The Grand Scribe's Records, Volume X: Volume X: The Memoirs of Han China, Part III Kindle Edition

by Ssu-ma Ch'ien (Author), William H. Nienhauser (Editor), William H. Nienhauser Jr. (Translator), Format: Kindle Edition

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A remarkable document of ancient Chinese history: “[An] indispensable addition to modern sinology.” —China Review International

This volume of The Grand Scribe’s Records includes the second segment of Han-dynasty memoirs and deals primarily with men who lived and served under Emperor Wu (r. 141–87 B.C.). The lead chapter presents a parallel biography of two ancient physicians, Pien Ch’üeh and Ts’ang Kung, providing a transition between the founding of the Han dynasty and its heyday under Wu. The account of Liu P’i is framed by the great rebellion he led in 154 B.C. and the remaining chapters trace the careers of court favorites, depict the tribulations of an ill-fated general, discuss the Han’s greatest enemy, the Hsiung-nu, and provide accounts of two great generals who fought them. The final memoir is structured around memorials by two strategists who attempted to lead Emperor Wu into negotiations with the Hsiung-nu, a policy that Ssu-ma Ch’ien himself supported.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This volume is a highly valuable addition to this well-established series. When read against the original text of the Shiji, these translations, the notes, and all the other material provided by the translators and the editor will serve as inspiring points of departure for further explorations in the wider field of Chinese history and literature."―Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies

"The English translation has been done meticulously, with full scholarly apparatus. . . . These volumes are essential library additions."―Choice

About the Author

Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145–ca. 86 BC) served for several decades as a high official at the court of the Han Emperor Wu around the year 100 BC. As China's greatest historian, he overcame political and personal conflicts to complete this huge narrative account of ancient China, from its beginnings through the end of the second century BC. William H. Nienhauser, Jr., is Halls-Bascom Professor of Classical Chinese Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His books include The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature (two volumes, Indiana University Press, 1985, 1998), (as translator) Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical by André Lévy (Indiana University Press, 2000), and (as editor and translator) the previous six volumes of The Grand Scribe's Records. He is a founding editor of the journal Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR).