Könyv jellemzők | |
|---|---|
| Kiadó | Oxford University Press |
| Kötés | Fűzött |
| ISBN | 9780199574391 |
| Nyelv | Angol |
| Nyelvi szint | C2-anyanyelvi |
| Sorozat | Oxford World\'s Classics |
Raymond Dawson and Preface by K. E. Brashier
A unique selection from the foremost ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian's Historical Records of the period covering the Qin dynasty which unified China in 221 BC and created the empire that lasted until 1911. The tomb of the First Emperor, founder
of the dynasty, was guarded by the famous terracotta warriors.
Contents cover the birth of the First Emperor, the assassination attempt on his life, an account of Qin's Chief Minister and short biography of the builder of the Great Wall, a history of the years immediately after unification, religious practices
and the story of one of the rebels who toppled the dynasty. Highly anecdotal, the book has plenty of sex, bawdy humour, violence, intrigue and grandeur.
Fluent and attractive translation by one of the foremost scholars of Classical Chinese, Raymond Dawson, with an interesting introduction and unobtrusive notes.
New preface updates the archaeological finds and shows how they help us understand and appreciate Sima Qian's detail.
Up-to-date bibliography, map, and index.
'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. Chronicling recent archaeological developments and questioning Sima Qian's biases, K. E. Brashier's preface highlights the importance of the Grand Historiographer's account and
Dawson's translation in the twenty-first century.