"Letter to Ren An" Ascribed to Sima Qian (ca. 90 BCE)

Four leading Han historians have been convened for this workshop, each offering a different "take" on the controversial and powerful work of historical Chinese writing.

Panelist/Discussants: Steven Durrant, University of Oregon; Waiyee Li, Harvard University; Han van Ess, Ludwig Maximilian Universitat, Munich; Michael Nylan, UC Berkeley

Sponsor: Center for Chinese Studies (CCS)

Many consider the curious "Letter to Ren An" (attributed to Sima Qian) to contain the most important insights into the motivations for writing history in early China, as it purports to describe Sima Qian's refusal to take the "honorable way out" by committing suicide, on the grounds that he must complete the monumental work of history begun by his father as an act of filial piety. As the the or (aka, the ), the joint work of the Simas is widely reckoned to be the single most powerful work of history-writing in the entire Chinese tradition (hence the continual analogies made to both Herodotus or Thucydides) and the ancestor of the entire genre, the longstanding controversies regarding the authenticity of the letter require some attention. Four leading Han historians have been convened for this workshop, each offering a different "take" on the Letter.

Event Contact: ccs@berkeley.edu, 510-643-6321