Research On Tangji Of Zi Zhi Tong Jian In The Thought Of Historiography

Tangji,the core part of Zi Zhi Tong Jian,is not only relatively independent,but also another profound summary of Tang history by historians in the middle and late Northern Song Dynasty.Its historical value is that it responded to the topic of the times once raised by Liu Zhiji,a historian of the Tang Dynasty.Liu thought that when the historians who wanted to write history books should make bold assumptions and verify carefully.Tangji achieved this goal from the practical level with rich and detailed historical details.Besides,Tangji also recorded what people said at that time.Such form came with pieces of opinion of Sima Guang itself.Hence,it represented the highest achievement in the compilation of ancient chronicle history books,because of its successful combination of historical research,historical narrative and historical review.As for its obvious tendency in the selection of historical facts,it should be recognized dialectically.On one hand,Sima Guang has a certain subjectivity in the use of chronicles and materials in order to highlight the purpose of ’governance’ and to express his historical view.On the other hand,this‘limitation’ is mainly determined by the narrative model of ’historical reasoning’ in traditional historiography.Those events that do not have the value of theory are naturally rejected.This is a common feature of traditional historiography and is not unique to Zi Zhi Tong Jian.