If Bangu sticks to the Ban Biao route

If Bangu sticks to the Bangu route...

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A major feature of Chinese civilization is the great importance attached to history. However, Liang Qichao believes that there was no historiography before Sima Qian, and historiography began with Sima Qian.

Liang Qichao's view is indeed justified, first of all, Sima Qian pioneered a new tradition of jichuan style revision, and it was persisted until the Qing History Draft. Secondly, Sima Qian wrote China's first general history work, the "Records of History", which exemplifies future generations, and since then Chinese historiography has embarked on the road of Kangzhuang. Third, after the Ji Chuan, Sima Qian always expressed his views in the form of "Taishi Gongyue", unifying objective history with subjective views.

There was a Han dynasty, and only Ban Gu, who could be on a par with Sima Qian. The work of Bangu is to set a precedent for the revision of the history of the broken generations and to follow them for all generations. Liu Zhiji, a Tang dynasty, praised him: "Bao Ju a generation, wrote a book, scholars sought advice, and it was easy to do his work." However, Zheng Qiao, a master of Southern Song Dynasty historiography and who can also be on a par with Sima Qian and Ban Gu, directly criticized Ban Gu.

Zheng Qiao said: "Those who are good at learning Sima Qian are like Ban Biao. Biao continued to move the book, from Xiao Wu to the Later Han. To make future generations continue to be self-sufficient; there is neither a derivation nor an end. ...... Gu is the son of Biao, and cannot pass on his karma. ...... The discontinuation is history, and there is no compound cause. The way will pass, and it has been lost ever since. ”

It seems that after Sima Qian, the glory of historians was destined to fall on the Ban clan, and if Ban Gu adhered to the revision line of his father Ban Biao, the big red flower of history would be worn on Ban Biao's chest; but Ban Gu engaged in "revisionism", turned his back on the Naiwong line, and embarked on the academic line of revising and repairing the history of the broken dynasty, thus becoming the founder of China's history of the broken dynasty, thus winning a huge historical honor.

Of course, history cannot be assumed, but it is conceivable that if the Ban Biao line is implemented, Chinese historiography will certainly present a different picture, at least the number of words in the annals of history will be greatly reduced, and of course, there will be many fewer historians.

(October 14, 2021)