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"The following year Qin unified all under Heaven and the title of August Emperor was immediately adopted."The short-lived Qin dynasty unified China in 221 BC and created an imperial legacy that lasted until 1911. The extraordinary story of the First Emperor, founder of the dynasty, is told in the Historical Records of Sima Qian, the Grand Historiographer and the most famous Chinese historian. He describes the Emperor's birth and the assassination attempt on his life, as well as the political and often brutal events that led to the founding of the dynasty and its aftermath. Sima Qian recounts the building of the Great Wall, the "burning of the books", and the construction of the First Emperor's magnificent tomb, a tomb now world famous since the discovery of the terracotta warriors in 1974. Sima Qian's love of anecdote ensures that his history is never dull, and Raymond Dawson's fluent translation captures his lively and vivid style.About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
How did the Qin dynasty establish a centralized imperial structure that defined Chinese governance for over two millennia? Sima Qian, the Grand Historiographer of the Han dynasty, utilizes primary source accounts and court records to document the rise and fall of the First Emperor. His work serves as the foundational historical framework for understanding the unification of China, the implementation of legalist reforms, and the construction of monumental infrastructure projects that solidified imperial authority.
What You Will Find
Scholars and historians regard this translation as a primary entry point for those studying early Chinese imperial history. Readers frequently note the accessibility of the prose, which balances academic rigor with the narrative flair characteristic of Sima Qian's original writing.
Page Count:
208
Publication Date:
2009-11-02
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0199574391
ISBN-13:
9780199574391
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