Han Dynasty I: 001 (Records of the Grand Historian)

Considering how powerful and influent China was during most of its history and how powerful and influent again it became during those last 35 years or so, it is actually surprising how LITTLE we know about the history of this mighty giant.The general knowledge is especially limited when ancient Chinese history is concerned - but as it turns out it is not exactly for lack of sources. Some important ancient Chinese texts ARE available in English (and sometimes also other western languages) - and none of them is as precious and powerful as the "Shi Ji" or "Records of the Grand Historian".This is by no means the integrality of "Shi Ji" (not even close). This book contains only a selection of chapters from Sima Qian's Opus Magnum, in a very pleasant and elegant translation by the great Burton Watson, a very renowned translator of ancient Japanese and Chinese texts. Those chapters are however crucially important, because they treat of following people:- those who between 209 and 202 BC destroyed the Qin regime and then waged a titanic struggle for domination, which ended with the establishment of possibly the most important of all Chinese dynasties - the Western Han.- the first four rulers of Western Han: Emperor Gaozu, Empress Lu, Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing- the empresses, vassal kings, chancellors, ministers, generals, concubines, etc. who from 202 until 141 BC all played a part in creating the Western Han mighty state- last but not least, the most important, powerful (and tragic) rebels...As I already said it in the title, this is NOT an easy read, at least not immediately - but please believe me, it is WORTH persevering. It is also possible to prepare a little for the lecture - what follows now is relevant ONLY if you have really NOT A CLUE about ancient Chinese history:- my advice is to first read on internet a little about Qin Shihuangdi, the First Emperor of Qin Dynasty - but some REAL history stuff, not the esoteric or fantasy nonsense...- having a look at following figures of Qin regime can be also useful: the Second Emperor, chancellor Li Si, general Zhang Han and eunuch Zhao Gao (Wikipedia will be enough here)- a little look at the map of Ancient China at the very end of Seven Warring Kingdoms period is advised so you can better situate the place of action - having some idea of the location of countries of Chu, Qi, Qin and Zhao is particularly crucial- then there is also a recommended "reading path" of this book - ancient Chinese chronicles can seem so peculiar because reading them one chapter after another from the beginning to the end is NOT ALWAYS the best way. Burton Watson helped a lot here, repositioning the chapters - this is why this book begins with Shi Ji chapter 48 and continues with chapters 7, 8, 16, 53, 55, 56 and so on. Watson's "reading path" is a very precious thing and my advice is to FOLLOW IT very strictly, at least at the first reading.If you really want to read this book, I will repeat it once again - do NOT give up even if you find it difficult at first. Persevere and you will be greatly rewarded! This is a rigourosly TRUE thing, but honestly, once you get comfortable and start to discover the whole story, it can be much more passionating than "Game of thrones". And - surprise, surprise - albeit this is a 2100-years old historical chronicle, this thing is FUN! Really! Other than tragedies and serious reflexions, Sima Qian, who definitely was a very exceptionnal person, managed to slip into his enormous book TONS of tongue-in-cheek humour, all of it under the nose of imperial censors...I went through this book three times and it was one of most rewarding readings in my whole life! An extremely precious, powerful thing, worth every penny! Recommended for all people interested in history of China or in history in general but also for all amateurs of good books! Enjoy!

Excellent translation, hard to find! Good price, many volumes are exorbitant. The many names and ranks are hard to keep track of but are meant to be indicitve of subtleties in the Chinese culture. If you can get past that, even from a western understanding, it’s excellent 😊

Was a wonderful easy read. I wasn't sure I could like this but found out I loved it. Would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Chinese history.

Nach den Kapiteln über die Qin-Dynastie, die im ersten Band der Übersetzungen des Shiji von Burton Watson gesammelt sind (Records of the Grand Historian: Sima Qian), finden sich in diesem vorliegenden Band der erste Teil der Kapitel, die sich mit dem Untergang der Qin und dem Aufstieg der Han beschäftigen. Wie auch schon beim Qin-Band wechseln sich etwas mühselige Kalendereinträge ab mit spannenden Episoden aus dem Leben einiger Notablen der damaligen Gesellschaft. Mit feinem Humor schreckt Sima Qian auch vor Spitzen und versteckter Kritik nicht zurück; sein Leben hat ihm gezeigt, dass er eh nichts mehr zu verlieren hat.Leider lesen sich bereits die ersten fast 100 Seiten eher unangenehm, was viele Leser abschrecken könnte:"When Tian Rong heard that Xiang Yu had moved Shi, the king of Qi, to Jiaodong and set up Tian Du, a general of Qi, as the new king of Qi, he was very angry and refused to send Shi to Jiaodong. Instead he declared Qi to be in revolt, and marched forth to attack Tian Du. Tian Du fled to Chu. Tian Shi, king of Qi, fearful of Xiang Yu, fled to Jiaodong, thus reaching his new realm. Tian Rong, in a rage, pursued and attacked him. killing him at Jimo. Tian Rong then set himself up as king of Qi, marched west, and attacked and killed Tian An, the new king of Jibei." (S. 35f)Doch ein gewisses Durchhaltevermögen und Leidensfähigkeit werden belohnt: Die Folgekapitel mit den Biografien sind unterhaltsam und sehr viel lesbarer, machen teilweise sogar richtig Spaß. Die Kaiser Gaozu und Wen, deren Minister und Generäle wie Shen Yiji und Han Xin, sowie die berüchtigte Kaiserin Lü und der Widersacher Gaozus, Xiang Yu, fehlen natürlich nicht in diesem Strudel aus Verrat und Loyalität.Unklar bleibt, was in der zweiten, revidierten Auflage geändert wurde - ich vermute, die Romanisierung wurde auf Pinyin geändert, was der Lesbarkeit nicht schadet, im Gegenteil. Die sonstige Aufmachung ist spartanisch, ein für die Bedeutung des Werks recht knappes Vorwort, wenige, dafür aber hilfreiche Fußnoten und vor allem die Karten am Ende erlauben dem Leser eine gewisse Zuordnung der Ereignisse im geografischen Rahmen. Papier und Bindung sind makellos, der Druck etwas uneinheitlich, aber größtenteils gut gelungen.Natürlich ist dies ein historisch unschätzbares Werk; die Bewertung beziehe ich aber auf Leser, die nicht nur Historiker sind, sondern interessierte Laien, und für die ist es einfach stellenweise fast unlesbar. Wer sich nicht abschrecken lässt, erhält dafür aber einmalige Einblicke in die Han-Zeit, und wird trotz der Längen auch gut unterhalten. Mehr editoriale Beigaben hätten aber sicherlich gut getan.

Husband is enjoying it

Basic book for historians