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In an ironic twist of fate, much of what we know about the Hoŋa is due to the meticulous record keeping of their rival, the Han. It is through their dynastic records that we derive our knowledge of not only the Hoŋa, but also of many other nomadic peoples. Similarly, the records of succeeding dynasties would go on to provide us with invaluable information regarding the Inner-Asian successors of the Hoŋa.


The Records of the Grand Scribe

The greatest of the Han’s records, the Taishigong Shu (太史公書), traditionally known as the “Records of the Grand Scribe,” is a massive work accredited to the Han court scribe, Sima Qian (司馬遷). It not only documents the history of the Han, but also of the surrounding world; thus, we could consider it one of the earliest attempts at creating a world history. Succeeding Chinese dynasties would come to model their own histories after it, eventually inspiring neighboring states to do the same. The text itself was separated into five segments:

  1. Benji (本紀) “The Basic Annals”: the descriptions and histories of the dynasties and their emperors.

  2. Biao (表) “Tables”: the genealogical and chronological tables of dynastic reigns, families, and noteworthy events.

  3. Shu (書) “Treatises”: notes on the histories and developments of Chinese culture and sciences.

  4. Shijia (世家) “The Hereditary Houses”: histories of the royal houses and historical states of China.

  5. Liezhuan (列傳) “Biographies”: descriptions and histories of notable individuals and groups.


The last of these segments, the "Biographies," is where we find the bulk of the information pertaining to the Hoŋa and their neighbors. However, as the reader may come to witness, Sima Qian has a peculiar habit of contradicting himself. Often will we find information in the other segments that will not match what is stated in the Biographies. In fact, differing "Biographies" may even contradict one another. Thus, it is important to analyze the source as a whole, carefully considering what makes sense and what does not. Moreover, the Han were a clever people, who did not make mistakes lightly. What may seem like a mistake to a contemporary reader, may have been to them, a political statement. There was no shortage of political intrigue in the Han court.


Another issue we find within the Records of the Grand Scribe is the tendency to degrade foreign people. For instance, the work goes to great lengths to paint the picture of a primitive nomad, yet archeological records show us that the Hoŋa shared many cultural practices with their Chinese neighbors. In fact, in many cases, it is impossible to tell which practice originated with whom. Moreover, there are even instances where the Chinese found it necessary to take certain practices from their Northern neighbors. So, while the Records of the Grand Scribe paints a black and white world, where the menacing northern barbarians can be seen harassing their benevolent neighbors to the south, the reality is much grayer.


Supplements to the Records of the Grand Scribe

In the time period following Sima Qian, various scholars wrote commentaries for the Records of the Grand Scribe. The following are those known as the Sanjia Zhu (三家注) or “Three Scholars’ Commentaries” and are included with most printed editions of the Records of the Grand Scribe:

  1. Pei Yin’s (裴駰) 5th century C.E. Shiji Jijie (史記集解) or “Collected Commentaries of the Scribe's Records,”

  2. Sima Zhen’s (司馬貞) 8th century C.E. Shiji Suoyin (史記索隱) or “Seeking the Profound in the Scribe’s Records,” and

  3. Zhang Shoujie’s (張守節) 8th century C.E. Shiji Zhengyi (史記正義) or “Correct Meaning of the Scribe’s Records.”

Records of the Grand Scribe

太史公書

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