12. Sima Qian Was a Revolutionary Chinese Historian
During the Han Dynasty, Sima Qian began to keep historic records of the Chinese empire over the course of 2,000 years. He is considered to be the founder of Chinese “historiography”, which basically means he was the country’s first historian. His worked influenced historians in Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. He was also an accomplished astrologer, and he became a prominent figure in Chinese literature. He got involved in some serious drama in the royal family, and the Emperor put him in jail for three years, threatening to execute him.
Sima Qian had two options- Either accept death, or choose the humiliation of being castrated and becoming a eunuch in the royal court. He chose the latter. Sima Qian was actually married and had three children before he chose to be castrated. He wrote that he was embarrassed that he was too cowardly to commit suicide to regain his honor, but he felt that he did not want to die, because had far too much work left to do, and he was right. His sons continued writing his historic texts, and it was not fully revealed until several generations later.