Duality of Historian Sima Qian — Reconstructing the Yao and Shun Narratives as Ideological and Historical Writings in the Shiji (史記) —

This paper examines two aspects of the Yao and Shun narratives in the “Annals of the Five Emperors”: ideological constructs and historical writings. Understandings of the narratives of Yao and Shun conflict: (1) Some view them as historical reflections of China’s late Neolithic, (2) others regard them as myths or pseudo-history. I disagree with both views and emphasize two key points: (1) The Yao and Shun narratives were fluidly reconstructed according to the contemporary historical and ideological contexts, making it difficult to determine their historical authenticity. Sima Qian also reconstructed these narratives to promote the Confucian political model. Influenced by the early Han period’s ideological priorities, Sima Qian excluded non-Confucian accounts and emphasized Confucian interpretations of these sage-kings. (2) pre-modern East Asian intellectuals viewed Yao and Shun as historical governance models, with Sima Qian constructing his narratives based on the principles of historical writing. Believing Yao and Shun to be historical figures, he meticulously selected various earlier sources and oral traditions that he considered reliable. Based on this analysis, I propose two possibilities: either Sima Qian adjusted pre-Qin versions to align with early Han perspectives, or he relied on early Han versions, which have since been lost.