01_史记_报任安书Eng.pdfVIP

Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) E X C E R P T F R O M S I M A Q I A N ’ S L E T T E R T O R E N A N Introduction Sima Qian (145?-86? BCE) was the son of Sima Tan (d. 110 BCE), Grand Historian to the court of Emperor Wu (r. 141-87 BCE) of the Han dynasty. At that time, the Grand Historian’s tasks were mostly to track astronomical phenomena and to offer interpretations of them to the court. Sima Tan, apparently of his own accord, had taken on a project on the side: to write the history of the known world (which is to say, China and, to the extent that they had anything to do with China, neighboring peoples and kingdoms). Sima Tan did not get very far with his project before he died, exhorting his son, Sima Qian, to complete the task. So Sima Qian followed in his father’s footsteps, serving Emperor Wu as Grand Historian and pursuing the historical project left to him by his father. Life at court must have been fascinating. Emperor Wu was an activist ruler, pursuing innovative economic policies and engaging in aggressive wars of territorial expansion. His government monopolized trade in salt, iron, and alcoholic beverages to generate revenue for military expenses. His armies conquered territories from Korea to Central Asia. Foreign things interested Emperor Wu: horses and grapes from Central Asia, for example, and alfalfa (to feed the horses). Most of Emperor Wu’s military expeditions went well. Some did not. Once, the emperor sent General Li Ling to the north to fight the Xiongnu nomads with only 5,000 infantry. The idea was to lure the Xiongnu closer, then send in reinforcements and wipe them out. The “luring” part worked, but Li Ling was surrounded. The emperor did not send reinforcements, Li Ling’s soldiers were slaughtered, and Li Ling surrendered. Later, reports of questionable rel