Records of the Grand Historian

The Greatest History
Ever Written

by Sima Qian, c. 94 BC

21stories from the Shiji — ancient China's foundational history — retold in vivid English prose. No jargon, no academic wall of text. Just the stories.

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Featured Stories

All 21 stories →
ShijiBattle of Julu: The Breaking of the QinXiang Yu's legendary crossing of the Yellow River and destruction of the Qin reserve army.⏱ 4 min read·7,385 wordsShijiChen She: The Man Who Started It AllA peasant who said 'Chen Sheng wag not to be a king' — and ignited the rebellion that destroyed the Qin empire.⏱ 3 min read·3,969 wordsShijiChu: The Southern Giant That Never WonThe largest and richest Warring State — with every advantage in territory and resources — that somehow lost every decisive battle and vanished from history.⏱ 4 min read·7,502 wordsShijiHan Xin: The General Who Crossed the RiverHow Han Xin, once a man who ate from strangers' tables, became the architect of Liu Bang's victory.⏱ 4 min read·7,468 wordsShijiHan Xin: The General Who Won Three EmpiresFrom begging for food to commanding a million soldiers — the greatest military genius of the age, undone by his own king.⏱ 4 min read·4,992 wordsShijiLi Guang: The Archer Who Couldn't Be BoughtA general who could outshoot anyone and out-fight anyone — and who died refusing to play political games.⏱ 3 min read·3,589 words
21
Stories
21
Historical Figures
82
Minutes of Reading

Historical Figures

All 21 →
B
Bai Qi
Qin's Greatest General
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C
Chen Sheng
The Peasant Who Dared to Be King
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F
Fan Zeng
Xiang Yu's Chief Strategist
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H
Han Xin
The General Who Won Three Empires
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L
Li Si
Qin's Great Chancellor
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