Historical Records is the first general history masterpiece in the history of Chinese historiography. It is precisely because Historical Records can integrate the past and the present into a book, set a precedent and set an example, and modify history one by one according to this genre. The style of general historians has always influenced the research and writing of modern historiography.
Secondly, the independent position of historiography was established.
In ancient China, historiography was included in the category of Confucian classics and had no independent status. The history book is included in Liu Xin's Seven Views, with Chunqiu attached.
Since Sima Qian compiled Historical Records, later writers have followed suit, and there are more and more specialized historical works. In order to meet the new requirements, Xun Xu in the Western Jin Dynasty divided ancient books into four parts: A recorded six arts primary schools, B recorded martial arts of various schools, C recorded historical records, and Ding recorded poems and fu pictures. As a result, historiography has gained an independent position in the academic field of China. Thinking about the source of drinking water should be attributed to Sima Qian and his Historical Records.
Third, the literary tradition of historical biography has been established.
Sima Qian's literary accomplishment is profound, and his artistic means are particularly ingenious. Often, some extremely complicated facts are handled in a very proper and orderly manner, and then they are far-sighted, knowledgeable, vivid in words, tempered in brushwork, full of emotion, handy and vivid in image, which makes people "exclaim and clap their hands, I don't know why." Among them, Biography of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru is included in the primary school Chinese experimental textbook 18.
Generally speaking, Historical Records, as China's first large-scale work mainly describing characters, provided an important foundation and various possibilities for the development of later literature.
Fourth, the influence of literature.
Although there are real people in the history written in Historical Records, it is actually typed by "meeting each other", that is, highlighting some main characteristics of people, comparing different people and fabricating details. Historical Records has set up many important prototypes for China literature. In later novels and dramas, emperors, heroes, chivalrous men, officials and many other characters evolved from the characters in Historical Records.