Historical Notes. Selected Works

Sima Qian (145-86 BC) – a great Chinese scholar, historian and geographer, philosopher and astronomer, historiographer of the Han dynasty, creator of the "Shiji" – a grand historical work, comparable in its role and significance for China to Herodotus' "Histories" for Western culture. "Shiji" – "Historical Notes" by Sima Qian, written between 109 and 91 BC, covers a vast period of Chinese history over two millennia – from the mythical Yellow Emperor to the Western Han Empire. This edition includes 17 chapters of the biographical section, narrating the deeds not only of emperors but also of statesmen and philosophers, diplomats and generals of Ancient China.