These readings are taken from W. DeBarry's Sources of Chinese Tradition. All the italicized material is from DeBarry

    The intellectual and literary glory of the Han found its highest expression in the two great histories of the period, the Records of the Historian (Shih chi) and the History of the Former Han Dynasty (Han shu). Few works outside the Classics themselves have been so much admired, studied, and often in part committed to memory by the Chinese. They set the pattern for all later Chinese histories, establishing a precedent which was responsible for giving to the Chinese nation the most complete and unbroken record of its past possessed by any people.
    From very early times the Chinese seem to have possessed an extraordinary love and respect for history. According to tradition even the earliest dynasties had their official historians who were closely associated with astronomical affairs and divination. They were also responsible for acting as mentors to the rulers, instructing them in the lessons of the past, and recording their deeds for the judgment of posterity. Confucianism with its humanistic emphasis did much to encourage and develop this sense of history and feeling for the past. Two of the five Confucian Classics, the Book of History and the Spring and Autumn Annals, traditionally believed to have been compiled and edited by Confucius, and works of history, and the study of history and appeal to historical example have always been among the principal techniques of Confucian instruction and argumentation.

The History of the Former Han Dynasty states of these two historical Classics: "The Book of History broadens one's information and is the practice of wisdom; the Spring and Autumn Annals passes moral judgments on events and is the symbol of good faith." The function of history, as seen in this statement, is twofold: to impart information and to give moral instruction, as embodied in the traditions of the two Classics. These two traditions, one representing the objective transmission of the words and deeds of history, the other the illustration of moral principles through historical incident, run through all Chinese historiography. In practice the former tradition has dominated. The common method of the Chinese historian has been to transmit verbatim as nearly as possible what his sources tell him, adding only such background and connecting narrative as may be necessary. For example, the historian does not tell us that the emperor issued an edict to such and such an effect, but reproduces the edict in part or in whole so that we may read what he said for ourselves. Since the Chinese historian was often working in an official capacity, he had access to government files of memorials, edicts, court decisions, and other papers that made such a procedure possible. His own job then became one of selecting the most pertinent documents and arranging them in a way best calculated to demonstrate the cause and effect of events. If in addition he wished to inject his own personal opinion, he usually marked it clearly by some conventional literary device so that the reader could readily distinguish it.
The tradition of the Spring and Autumn Annals, the didactic function of history, was at the same time by no means forgotten. Only a sage might dare actually to record moral judgments in his writing, as Confucius was supposed to have done in the Spring and Autumn Annals. but all men were free to, in fact ought to, study the histories of the past carefully and thoughtfully to deduce for themselves the moral lessons embodied there, to descry the pattern hidden beneath the succession of recorded events. For, like all the rest of creation, history, according to Chinese thought, must have an underlying order. Han philosophy of history, influenced by yin-yang and five agents theories, conceived of history as a cyclical succession of eras proceeding in a fixed order. Not only this succession, but all of history is a manifestation of the universal process of change, growth, and decay, constantly coming to realization in the course of human events. Thus, for the Chinese, philosophically and morally, the proper study of mankind is man, and man as revealed in the pages of history.

THE RECORDS OF THE HISTORIAN
During the Chou there were numerous chronicles and works of history compiled by the feudal states and the various schools of philosophy. But until the Han, when the Chinese for the first time acquired a sense of national and cultural unity, no attempt was ever made to produce a comprehensive history of the entire past of the nation. The Shih chi or Records of the Historian was begun by Ssu-ma T'an (d. 110 B.C.), Grand Historian under Emperor Wu, and carried on and brought to completion by his son, Ssu-ma Ch'ien (145?-90? B.C.), who succeeded, his father in the position of Grand Historian. Comprising 130 chapters, it covers the history of the Chinese people from the Yellow Emperor to the time of the historians.
    Ssu-ma Ch'ien divided his material into five sections: Basic Annals, Chronological Tables, Treatises, Hereditary Houses, and Memoirs. This arrangement, with various modifications, has been followed by almost all later official historians. In later histories the section called Basic Annals might better be referred to as Imperial Annals, since it deals with acts of the officially reigning emperors. Ssu-ma Ch'ien, however did not so confine himself, but included here the account of Hsiang Yu who, though not officially emperor, in actuality ruled the country. The Chronological Tables need little explanation, being tables of dates for important events. The Treatises, one of the most valuable sections of the work, are essays devoted to the history and description of important subjects. Below are listed the eight Treatises of the Shih chi together with those of the Han shu which were based upon Shih chi material.

 Shih chi Treatises
Rites
Music
The Pitch-pipes
The Calendar
Astronomy
Sacrifices of Feng and Shan
The Yellow River and Canals
Balance of Commerce (Economics),
 Han shu Treatises
The Calendar
Rites and Music
Punishments and Laws
Food and Money (Economics):
State Sacrifices
Astronomy
Five Agents (Portents)
Geography
Land Drainage
Literature

 The Hereditary Houses, being largely accounts of feudal families, were not usually included in histories dealing with later periods. The chapters of the Memoirs are generally devoted to the lives of famous men—military leaders, politicians, philosophers, etc. Some chapters deal with particular groups such as famous assassins, upright officials, tyrannical officials, wandering knights, imperial favorites, merchants, etc. Others treat non-Chinese lands and peoples such as Korea, southeast China, Ferghana,  etc. The concluding chapter is the biography of the historians themselves.

SSU-MA CH'IEN
The Sacred Duty of the Historian
The following excerpt from the autobiography of Ssu-ma Ch'ien relates the words of Ssu-ma T'an to his son as he lay dying.
    [From Shih chi 130:8a-b, 30b-32a]
The Grand Historian [Ssu-ma T'an] grasped my hand and said weeping: "Our ancestors were Grand Historians for the House of Chou. From the most ancient times they were eminent and renowned when in the  days of Yu and Hsia they were in charge of astronomical affairs. In later ages our family declined. Will this tradition end with me? If you in turn become Grand Historian, you must continue the work of our ancestors.  . . . When you become Grand Historian, you must not forget what I have desired to expound and write. Now filial piety begins with the serving of your parents; next you must serve your sovereign; and finally you must make something of yourself, that your name may go down through the ages to the glory of your father and mother. This is the most important part of filial piety. Everyone praises the Duke of Chou, saying that he was able to expound in word and song the virtues of fong Wen and King Wu, publishing abroad the Odes of Chou and Shao; he set forth the thoughts and ideals of T'ai-wang and Wang Chi, extending his words back to King Liu and paying honor to Hou Chi [ancestors of the Chou dynasty]. After the reigns of Yu and Li the way of the ancient kings fell into disuse and rites and music declined. Confucius revived the old ways and restored what had been abandoned, expounding the Odes and History and making the Spring and Autumn Annals. From that time until today men of learning have taken these as their models. It has now been over four hundred years since the capture of the unicorn [481 B.C., end of the Spring and Autumn period]. The various feudal states have merged together, and the old records and chronicles have become scattered and lost. Now the House of Han has arisen and all the world is united under one rule, I have been Grand Historian, and yet I have failed to make a record of all the enlightened rulers and wise lords, the faithful ministers and gentlemen who were ready to die for duty. I am fearful that the historical materials will be neglected and lost. You must remember and think of this!"
I bowed my head and wept, saying: "I, your son, am ignorant and unworthy, but I shall endeavor to set forth in full the reports of antiquity which have come down from our ancestors. I shall not dare to be remiss!" [130:8a-b]                                                 
This our house of Han has succeeded the descendants of the Five Emperors and carried on the task of unification of the Three Dynasties. The ways of Chou fell into disuse and the Ch'in scattered and discarded the old writings and burned and destroyed the Odes and the History. Therefore the plans and records of the Illustrious Hall and the stone rooms, of the metal caskets and jade tablets, became lost or confused.
Then the Han arose and Hsiao Ho put in order the laws and commandments; Han Hsin set forth the rules of warfare; Chang Ts'ang made the regulations and standards; and Shu-sun T'ung settled questions of rites and ceremonies. At this time the art of letters began again to flourish and advance and the Odes and History gradually reappcared. From the time when Ts'ao Ts'an put into practice Master Kai's teachings of the Yellow Emperor and Lao Tzu, when Chia Sheng and Ch'ao Ts'o expounded the doctrines of the Legalist philosophers Shen and Shang, and Kung-sun Hung achieved eminence tor his Confucian learning, a period of some one hundred years, the books that survived and records of past affairs were all without exception gathered together by the Grand Historian. The Grand Historians, father and son, each in turn held and carried on the position. ...                           |
I have sought out and gathered together the ancient traditions of the empire which were scattered and lost. Of the great deeds of kings I have searched the beginnings and examined the ends; I have seen that times of prosperity and observed their decline. Of the affairs that I have discussed and examined, I have made a general survey of three Dynasties and a record of the Ch'in and Han, extending in all back as far as Hsien Yuan [the Yellow Emperor] and coming down to the present, set forth in twelve Basic Annals. After this had been put in order and completed, because there were differences in chronology for the same periods and the dates were not always clear, I made the ten Chronological Tables. Of the changes of rites and music, the improvements and revisions of the pitch-pipes and calendar, military power, mountains and rivers, spirits and gods, the relationships between heaven and man, the economic practices handed down and changed age by age, I have made the eight Treatises. As the twenty-eight constellations revolve about the North Star, as the thirty spokes of a wheel come together at the hub, revolving endlessly without stop, so the ministers, assisting like arms and legs, faithful and trustworthy, in true moral spirit serve their lord and ruler: of them I made the thirty Hereditary Houses. Upholding duty, masterful and sure, not allowing themselves to miss their opportunities, they made a name for themselves in the world: of such men I made the seventy Memoirs. In all one hundred and thirty chapters, 526,500 words, this is the book of the Grand Historian, compiled in order to repair omissions and amplify the Six Disciplines. It is the work of one family, designed to supplement the various interpretations of the Six Classics and to put into order the miscellaneous sayings of the hundred schools. [30b-32a]

In 98 B.C., because he dared to speak out in defense of a military leader whom Emperor Wu and the rest of the court believed had disgraced himself, Ssu-ma Ch'ien was condemned to suffer the punishment of castration. The following excerpt is from a famous letter which the historian wrote to a friend relating the circumstances of his disgrace and explaining why it was he chose to suffer the ignominy of castration rather than commit suicide. He consoles himself with the memory of the great men of the past who, in the midst of misfortune, produced writings which have guaranteed their everlasting fame, as he believes his history will do for him.
 [From Han shu, 62:17b-21b]

My father had no great deeds that entitled him to receive territories or privileges from the emperor. He dealt with affairs of astronomy and the calendar, which are close to divination and the worship of the spirits. He was kept for the sport and amusement of the emperor, treated the lame as the musicians and jesters, and made light of by the vulgar men of his day. If I fell before the law and were executed, it would make no more difference to most people than one hair off nine oxen, for I was nothing but a mere ant to them. The world would not rank me among those men who were able to die for their ideals, but would believe simple that my wisdom was exhausted and my crime great, that I had been unable to escape penalty and in the end had gone to my death. Why? Because all my past actions had brought this on me, they would say.

A man has only one death. That death may be as weighty as Mount T'ai, or it may be as light as a goose feather. It all depends upon the way he uses it. ... It is the nature of every man to love life and hate death, to think of his relatives and look after his wife and children. Only when a man is moved by higher principles is this not so. Then there are things which he must do. . . . The brave man does not always die for honor, while even the coward may fulfill his duty. Each takes a different way to exert himself. Though I might be weak and cowardly and seek shamefully to prolong my life, yet I know full well the difference between what ought to be followed and what rejected. How could I bring myself to sink into the shame of ropes and bonds? If even the lowest slave and scullery maid can bear to commit suicide, why should not one like myself be able to do what has to be done? But the reason I have not refused to bear these ills and have continued to live, dwelling among this filth, is that I grieve that I have things in my heart that I have not been able to express fully, and I am shamed to think that after I am gone my writings will not be known to posterity.

     Too numerous to record are the men of ancient time who were rich and noble and whose names have yet vanished away. It is only those who were masterful and sure, the truly extraordinary men, who are still remembered. When the Earl of the West was imprisoned at Yu-li, he expanded the Changes; Confucius was in distress and he made thg Spring and Autumn Annals; Ch'u Yuan was banished and he composed his poem "Encountering Sorrow"; after Tso Ch'iu lost his sight he composed the Narratives of the States; when Sun Tzu had had his leg amputated he set forth the Art of War; Lu Pu-wei was banished to Shu but his    Lu-lan has been handed down through the ages; while Han Fei| Tzu was held prisoner in Ch'in he wrote "The Difficulties of Disputation" and "The Sorrow of Standing Alone"; most of the three hundred poems of the Book of Odes were written when the sages poured forth their anger and dissatisfaction. All these men had a rankling in their carts, for they were not able to accomplish what they wished. Therefore they wrote of past affairs in order to pass on their thoughts to future generations. . . .

     I too have ventured not to be modest but have entrusted myself to my useless writings. I have gathered up and brought together the old traditions of the world which were scattered and lost. I have examined the deeds and events of the past and investigated the principles behind their success and failure, their rise and decay, in one hundred and thirty chapters. I wished to examine into all that concerns heaven and man, to penetrate the changes of the past and present, completing all as the work of one family. But before I had finished my rough manuscript, I met with this calamity. It is because I regretted that it had not been completed that I submitted to the extreme penalty without rancor. When I have truly completed this work, I shall deposit it in some safe place. If it may be handed down to men who will appreciate it and penetrate to the villages and great cities, then though I should suffer a thousand mutilations, what regret would I have?



The Judgements of the Historian
    The introduction to each section of the Shi ji consists of a breif explanation of the reasons for writing the section. I have selected a few that demonstrate some of the things that he found to be significant (not from DeBarry. I did the italicized part, and the rest is translated by Burton Watson in Records of the Grand Historian Columbia U.P. 1961.)
 
Shi ji 28 The Treatise on the Feng and Shan Sacrifices

    Among those who have received the mandate of Heaven and became rulers, few have been blessed with the auspicious omens telling them that they are worthy to perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices. When these are carried out, there is none among the countless spirits who does not enjoy pure offerings. Thus I have traced the origins of the religious rites appropriate to the various gods, the famous mountains and the great rivers and made "The Treatise on the Feng and Shan Sacrifices."


Shi ji 30 The Treatise on the Balanced Standard

    The purpose of currency is to provide a medium of exchange between farmers and merchants, but in extreme cases it is subject to all kinds of clever manipulations. As a result, the great landholders increase their power and men compete for the opportunity to turn a neat profit, abandoning the pursuit of agriculture, which is basic, to follow the secondary occupations of commerce. Thus I made "The Treatise on the Balanced Standard" showing how these changes came about.

Shi ji 107 The Biographies of the Marquises of Weiqi and Wuan

    When Wu and Chu rose in revolt, Dou Ying the marquis of Weiqi, proved to be the wisest leader among the families related to the imperial house by marriage. He appreciated the worth of other men and as a result they all flocked to him. He led his army to Xingyang east of the mountains and there blocked the advance of the rebel armies. Thus I made "The Biographies of the Marquises of Weiqi and Wuan".


Shi ji 117 The Biography of Sima Xiangru

    Sima Xiangru's prose poem on the Mighty One and his discussions of Sir Fantasy, although couched in extravagantly rich and exaggerated language, are actually satirical in intent and have their basis in the philosophy of non-action. Thus I made "The Biography of Sima Xiangru".

Shi ji 124 The Biographies of the Wandering Knights

    Saving others in distress, helping those who cannot help themselves -- is this not what a benevolent man does? Never betraying a trust, never going back on one's word -- this is the conduct of a righteous man. Thus I made "The Biographies of the Wandering Knights".

Shi ji 125 The Biographies of the Emperor's Male Favorites

    Those who served the ruler and succeeded in delighting his ears and eyes, those who caught their lord's fancy and won his favor and intimacy, did so not only through the power of lust and love: each had certain abilities in which he excelled. Thus I made ”The Biographies of the Emperor's Male Favorites".

Shi ji 129 The Biographies of the Money-Makers

    Though only commoners with no special ranks or titles, they were able, without interfering with the government or hindering the activities of the people, to increase their wealth by making the right moves at the right time. Wise men will find something to learn from them. Thus I made "The Biographies of the Money-Makers".