China’s first encyclopedia, The Grand Scribe’s Records, was written by the Chinese historian, Imperial Librarian and court official, Ssuma Ch’ien (also known as Sima Qian or Sima Tan).
Ssuma Ch’ien was a prominent figure in the Han Dynasty (206–220 CE) and was born around 145 BCE. He was considered to be the father of Chinese historiography, due to his seminal work The Grand Scribe’s Records. The book comprised of 129 chapters, spanning across six different parts, and including a detailed description of pre-Han Chinese culture and history, the origins of Chinese civilization, the Zhou dynasty, and the Han dynasty.
The Grand Scribe’s Records is the earliest known Chinese encyclopedia and is an invaluable source for historians. It is considered to be the most important work of Chinese literature from ancient times. Ssuma Ch’ien’s work was also extremely influential in shaping the Chinese view of their own past and set the framework for all subsequent historical writing about the people and events of China.
Ssuma Ch’ien was a prolific writer, who wrote many other works, such as essays, biographies, poetry, treatises and philosophical musings. He was highly esteemed by the ruling Han dynasty and was eventually appointed as the court’s Grand Astrologer. He was in charge of the court’s archives, libraries and astronomy departments, which gave him access to a wealth of information on ancient Chinese culture. This enabled him to accurately document the culture and history of pre-Han China in his work.
The Grand Scribe’s Records was an immense undertaking, taking Ssuma Ch’ien over twenty years to complete. It is an incredible feat of research and scholarship and remains an indispensable source for understanding the history and culture of ancient China. The publication of The Grand Scribe’s Records marks a major milestone in Chinese history and is an invaluable contribution to our knowledge of Chinese culture and society.