Ban Gu And Chronicles of The Han Dynasty

Ban Gu (AD 32-92) of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote the first dynastic history, Chronicles of the Han Dynasty. Chronicles of the Han Dynasty has 100 articles, recounting a history of 229 years from Emperor Gaozu to Wang Mang of the Han Dynasty.

Although Chronicles of the Han Dynasty cannot match Records ofthe Historian in terms of literary merit, it does include many accomplishedbiographical works such as "The Biography of Huo Guang," "TheBiography of Su Wu," "Collected Biographies of imperial in-laws," "TheBiography of Zhu Maichen." Unlike Sima Qian, who often incorporatedhis own feelings in his works, Ban Gu simply but effectively narrates orcomments on facts and a figure's works and deeds. For example, "TheBiography of Zhang Yu" vividly mirrors Zhang Yu's hypocritical, dishonestand greedy nature through his own words and deeds.

"The Biography of Su Wu" is so successfully written that it even rivalarticles in Records of the Historian. The story projected Su Wu's indomitable national integrity through many detailed and vivid descriptions.

The language in Chronicles of the Han Dynasty is formal and groomed,adopting lavish parallelism and ancient words. The flowery language andelegant style in Chronicles of the Han Dynasty forms a sharp contrast toRecords of the Historian.