Sima Qian

Sima Qian was a Chinese historian of the early Han dynasty who lived from about 145 BC to about 86 BC. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography because of the Shiji, often translated as Records of the Grand Historian, a general history that runs from the legendary Yellow Emperor to the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. It was the first universal history of the world as the ancient Chinese knew it and became the model for later official dynastic histories. His father, Sima Tan, planned the work but left only sketches, and Sima Qian carried it out as court historian. In 99 BC he defended the general Li Ling, was given the choice of death or castration, and chose castration so that he could finish the book. He also wrote poetry and prose and helped create the Taichu calendar of 104 BC.