The ''Shitong'' () is the first Chinese-language work about

historiography Historiography is the study of the methods used by historians in developing history as an academic discipline. By extension, the term ":wikt:historiography, historiography" is any body of historical work on a particular subject. The historiog ...

compiled by

Liu Zhiji Liu Zhiji (; 661–721), courtesy name Zixuan (), was a Chinese historian and politician of the Tang dynasty. Well known as the author of '' Shitong'', he was born in present-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu. Liu's father Liu Zangqi and elder brother Liu Zhiro ...

between 708 and 710 during the Tang dynasty. The book describes the general pattern of the past official dynastic historiography on structure, method, order of arrangement, sequence, caption and commentary back to the pre- Qin era. It contains about 88,000 words including Liu's commentaries, which are divided into 39 inner chapters and 13 outer chapters. Three of the inner chapters had been lost since the times of Ouyang Xiu, while the rest managed to survive. The inner chapters, the principal part of the book, provided information on the types, forms, rules, layout, the collecting of historical materials, outline, and the principle of historiography. The outer chapters describe the official system of the historiographer, origin and development of histories, and the success and failure of past

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...

s. The copies of the

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

are no longer available, while the reprinted editions of the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

are. The oldest are the 1535 edition by Lu Shen, and the most complete version is the 1577 edition by Zhang Zhixiang, which was published by Zhonghua Shuju in 1961. In comparison with other contemporary Chinese works, the ''Shitong'' has several notable innovations in ideas and content, including:Nguyễn Thanh Hà (2009), Mười nhà sử học nổi tiếng Trung Quốc (Ten notable Chinese historians), Nhà xuất bản Văn hóa thông tin, p. 52-53 (in Vietnamese) * The ''Shitong'' rejected the idea of

fatalism Fatalism is a belief and philosophical doctrine which considers the entire universe as a deterministic system and stresses the subjugation of all events, actions, and behaviors to fate or destiny, which is commonly associated with the cons ...

and stated that the successes or failures of dynasties were not determined by heaven's decree, but by the dynasties’ character and quality. * The ''Shitong'' rejected the idea of using results as the only criteria to assess people. * The ''Shitong'' rejected the idea of

Sinocentrism Sinocentrism refers to a worldview that China is the cultural, political, or economic center of the world. Sinocentrism was a core concept in various Chinese dynasties. The Chinese considered themselves to be "all-under-Heaven", ruled by the ...

and Han Chinese chauvinism and advocated a healthy skepticism about the established conceptions and ideas, which were not always correct or indisputable.

References

* Tang, Qinfu (2001). ''History of Chinese Historiography''. Taiyuan: Shanxi Education Press. . pp. 215–217. * Li, Wenli.
Liu Zhiji Shitong Tixian De Biandao Sixiang He Biandao Yuanze (The Editing Thought and Principle in Liu Zhiji's Shitong)
'. ''Tangdu Journal''. 2006.5. pp. 34–36. ISSN 1001-0300. * Qu, Lindong
''Shitong'' ("Generality of Historiography")
''

Encyclopedia of China The ''Encyclopedia of China'' () is the first large-entry modern encyclopedia in the Chinese language. The compilation began in 1978. Published by the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House, the encyclopedia was issued one volume at a time, be ...

'' (1st ed.). * Xiong, Victor Cunrui (2023

''A Thorough Exploration in Historiography,'' an annotated translation of ''Shitong'' by Liu Zhiji (University of Washington Press).

External links

''Shitong'' "All about Historiography"
— Chinaknowledge.de. Historiography of China Chinese history texts 8th-century history books Tang dynasty literature 8th-century Chinese books {{china-hist-book-stub

See also

References

External links