Sima Qian Essay

Sima Qian was a Han Dynasty historian who was sentenced to punishment by castration by Chinese imperial officials. Sima Qian was sentenced to be castrated because, he had worked on a project that he had inherited from his father, a history of China from earliest times to his own day. That project brought Sima Qian high prominence at the imperial court. Thus, when he spoke in defense of a dishonored general, his views attracted widespread attention. The emperor reacted furiously when he learned that Sima Qian had publicly expressed opinions that contradicted the ruler’s judgment and ordered the historian to undergo his humiliating punishment.
2. What was the Period of the Warring States?
The Warring States Period (475–221 BC) was an era of division in ancient China.
3. What three schools of thought or philosophies emerged that deeply influenced …show more content…
Describe the following. Include for each, the founder, ideas/values, political implications. a. Confucianism – founder, Junzi, key Confucian values (describe each), what it advocated.
The first Chinese thinker who addressed the problem of political and social order in a straightforward and self-conscious way was Kong Fuzi (551–479 B.C.E.)—“Master Philosopher Kong,” as his disciples called him, or Confucius, as he is known in English. He came from an aristocratic family in the state of Lu in northern China and for many years he sought an influential post at the Lu court. But, Confucius was a strong-willed man who often did not get along well with others. He could be quite cantankerous: he was known to lodge bitter complaints.
In an age when bureaucratic institutions were not yet well developed, Confucius believed that the best way to promote good government was to fill official positions with individuals who were both well educated and extraordinarily conscientious. Thus Confucius concentrated on the formation of what he called junzi—“superior individuals”—who did not allow personal interests to influence their

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