Understanding Primary & Secondary Sources: Examples from Chinese History

Primary sources are direct, firsthand accounts of a particular event or time period. For example, an eyewitness account of a battle or a diary kept during a certain time period. Secondary sources are interpretations or evaluations of primary sources. An example of a secondary source is an analysis of a historical document or a book about a particular event or time period.

Shang oracle bone divination was a form of divination used by the Shang dynasty to divine the future. It involved heating animal bones or shells, which would then crack in a particular pattern that could be interpreted by a diviner. One example is the divination of whether a certain individual should go to war, which was done by heating a turtle shell and interpreting the pattern of the cracks.

Zhou bronze inscriptions were used to record important events and transactions of the Zhou dynasty. These inscriptions were inscribed on bronze vessels, which were then buried in tombs or other locations. They provide a direct record of the events and customs of the Zhou period. An example of their value as historical materials is 'The Great Preface', which provides a detailed account of the political and social developments of the early Zhou period.

Authorship in early China was a complicated concept, as authors were often anonymous and authorship was sometimes attributed to a legendary figure. For example, the authorship of the Classic of Poetry is traditionally attributed to Confucius even though the individual authors of the poems are unknown.

The Zuozhuan and the Chunqiu are both historical texts from ancient China, written in the Warring States period. The Zuozhuan is a commentary on the Chunqiu, and it elaborates on and expands upon the events described in the Chunqiu. The Chunqiu is a chronicle of the events of the Spring and Autumn period, while the Zuozhuan is a narrative of the same events with additional detail and commentary.

'The Grand Scribe's Remarks' (Taishi gong yue) was a collection of essays written by the Grand Scribe of the Zhou dynasty, Sima Qian, about various topics such as philosophy, history, and statecraft. The essays were intended to provide guidance for rulers of the Zhou dynasty and to provide insight into the workings of the court.

The Hanshu and the Shiji are both works of history written by the historian Sima Qian. The Hanshu is a chronological narrative of Chinese history from the earliest times to the fall of the Han dynasty in 220 CE. It is organized into separate chapters and is written in a straightforward style. The Shiji is a more comprehensive history, covering a wide range of topics including philosophy, cosmology, literature, and politics. It is written in a more literary style, and is organized into a series of biographies of important figures.