SimaQian(ca.145–86BC)wasaPrefectoftheGrandScribesoftheHanDynasty.HeisregardedasthefatherofChinesehistoriographybecauseofhishighlypraisedwork,RecordsoftheGrandHistorian,anoverviewofthehistoryofChinacoveringmorethantwothousandyearsfromtheYellowEmperortoEmperorHanWudi.HisdefinitiveworklaidthefoundationforlaterChinesehistoriography.
SimaQianwasbornandgrewupinLongmen,nearpresent-dayHancheng,Shaanxi.Hewasraisedinafamilyofhistoriographers.Hisfather,SimaTan,servedasthePrefectoftheGrandScribesofEmperorWuofHan(Emperor"HanWudi").Hismainresponsibilitiesweremanagingtheimperiallibraryandcalendarwatching(fornationalday).Undertheinfluenceofhisfather,attheageoften,SimaQianwasalreadywellversedinoldwritings.HewasthestudentofthefamousConfuciansKongAnguoandDongZhongshu.Attheageoftwenty,withthesupportofhisfather,SimaQianstartedajourneythroughoutthecountry,collectingusefulfirst-handhistoricalrecordsforhismainwork,Shiji.Thepurposeofhisjourneywastoverifytheancientrumorsandlegendsandtovisitancientmonuments,includingtherenownedgravesoftheancientsagekingsYuandShun.PlaceshehadvisitedincludeShandong,Yunnan,Hebei,Zhejiang,Jiangsu,JiangxiandHunan.
Afterhistravels,hewaschosentobeaPalaceAttendantinthegovernmentwhosedutiesweretoinspectdifferentpartsofthecountrywithEmperorHanWudi.In110BC,attheageofthirty-five,SimaQianwassentwestwardonamilitaryexpeditionagainstsome"barbarian"tribes.Thatyear,hisfatherfellillandcouldnotattendtheImperialFengSacrifice.Suspectinghistimewasrunningout,hesummonedhissonbacktocompletethehistoricalworkhehadbegun.SimaTanwantedtofollowtheAnnalsofSpringandAutumn-thefirstchronicleinthehistoryofChineseliterature.Fuelledbyhisfather'sinspiration,SimaQianstartedtocompileShijiin109BC.In105BC,Simawasamongthescholarschosentoreformthecalendar.Asaseniorimperialofficial,Simawasalsointhepositiontooffercounseltotheemperorongeneralaffairsofstate.
PortraitofSimaQian
PortraitofSimaQian
In99BC,SimaQiangotinvolvedintheLiLingAffair:LiLingandLiGuangli,twomilitaryofficerswholedacampaignagainsttheXiongnuinthenorth,weredefeatedandtakencaptive.EmperorHanWudiattributedthedefeattoLiLing,andalltheofficialsinthegovernmentcondemnedLiLingforthedefeat.SimawastheonlypersontodefendLiLing,whohadneverbeenhisfriendbutwhomherespected.EmperorHanWudiinterpretedSima’sdefenceofLiLingasanattackonhisbrother-in-law,whohadalsofoughtagainsttheXiongnuwithoutmuchsuccess,andsentencedSimatodeath.Atthattime,executioncouldbecommutedeitherbymoneyorcastration.SinceSimadidnothaveenoughmoneytoatonehis"crime",hechosethelatterandwasthenthrownintoprison,whereheenduredthreeyears.Hedescribedhispainthus:"Whenyouseethejaileryouabjectlytouchthegroundwithyourforehead.Atthemeresightofhisunderlingsyouareseizedwithterror...Suchignominycanneverbewipedaway."
In96BC,onhisreleasefromprison,Simachosetoliveonasapalaceeunuchsoastocompletehishistories,ratherthancommitsuicideaswasexpectedofagentleman-scholar.AsSimaQian'swordsexplained: