The Multi-Faceted Nature of "Flying General": A Comparative Study of The Biography of General Li in Records of the Grand Historian and The Biography of Li Guang and Su Jian in The Book of Han

Abstract

The two books, The Book of Han and Records of the Grand Historian, have a high degree of overlap in terms of depicting characters and recording time periods, but there are still many differences between them in minor details. This is due to the different eras in which the two books were compiled and the different times and identities of the authors. Therefore, the two books are often used for comparative studies. This article conducts relevant research on the depiction of the character Li Guang in the biographies of General Li in Records of the Grand Historian and Su Guang in the The Book of Han. By comparing the different descriptions of the same character in the two books, it studies the differences in the historians' positions and narrative forms, as well as the underlying reasons for these differences. The research is carried out through the application of the methods of reading historical materials and comparison. The research finds that the differences in the descriptions of Li Guang mainly result from the authors' different life experiences and writing purposes. Records of the Grand Historian was mainly written by Sima Qian to record the true history in his eyes, while The Book of Han was composed for the royal family. Through comparative studies, a deeper understanding of the author himself and the related history of the Qin and Han dynasties can be achieved.