Sima Qian

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

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Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/sima-qian

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Sima Qian born?Circa 145 BC
2. When did Sima Qian die?Circa 86 BC
3. Where was Sima Qian born?Longmen, Han Dynasty China (present-day Hancheng, Shaanxi province)
4. What is the related topics?Han Dynasty, Chinese historiography, Chinese literature, Chinese astronomy, Sinosphere
5. Who was Sima Qian and why is he important?Sima Qian was a famous historian from the Han Dynasty, called the "Father of Chinese Historiography" because he wrote the big book called the Records of the Grand Historian.
6. What is the Records of the Grand Historian?It is a huge history book that covers more than two thousand years of Chinese history, from the Yellow Emperor to Emperor Wu, and it includes stories, dates, and many biographies.

Historiography: The study of the writing of history, including its methods, theoretical concepts, and aims.
Sinosphere: The cultural region of East Asia influenced by Chinese culture, including countries like Korea, Japan, and Vietnam.
Taichu Calendar: An advanced lunisolar calendar system promulgated in 104 BC during the Han Dynasty, significantly improving astronomical accuracy.