Historical Records is China's first biographical general history. This style was initiated by Sima Qian, and later almost all history books inherited it. The advantage of this style is that it can clearly record the complete face of some things and people and will not be cut off because of time. At the same time, in order to make up for the problem that time records may be inaccurate, Sima Qian created this style as a supplement. Generally speaking, historical records have very high historical value, a lot of archaeology.
The second reason: a just attitude.
The records in Historical Records are considerable and will not be avoided because of practical problems. For example, the records in Historical Records objectively recorded the merits and demerits of Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, and let us see the real Liu Bang himself. As a man in the period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, Sima Qian not only recorded the martial arts of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, but also recorded the shortcomings of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, such as being militaristic and reusing cruel officials. You know, recording the shortcomings of the emperor at that time would be beheaded.
The third reason: beyond the vision of the times.
Since the feudal society, the basic principle of attaching importance to agriculture and restraining business has been basically set, but Sima Qian jumped out of this thinking and did not feel ashamed of doing business. He even wrote "Biography of Huo Zhi" to praise those businessmen who got rich through business and acknowledge their contribution to social and economic prosperity. In Sima Qian's view, the granary knows etiquette, food and clothing know honor and disgrace. Only when the people are rich can they successfully carry out education and realize a harmonious society.
The fourth reason: the correct view of nationality.
In ancient China, there were sayings of "Na Man", "Northern Emperor", "Xi Rong" and "Dong Yi", which despised the ethnic minorities around the Central Plains as barbarians, but Historical Records did not despise them. For example, historical research proves that the Huns are descendants of Xia Dynasty and the Chu people are descendants of Zhuan Xu. It is of far-reaching significance to regard the ethnic minorities around China as a branch of the Chinese family, which will safeguard national unity and promote ethnic integration.
The fifth reason: profound self-awareness.
Sima Qian's attitude towards Historical Records is much higher than that of other historians. He believes that even if history is recorded objectively, history will not be completely restored. Therefore, his goal is to "study the relationship between man and nature, understand the changes from ancient times to modern times, and become a unified statement." It can be said that Sima Qian was the first historian to admit his shortcomings, and this courage is very rare.