From the revision of the main history to the historical process of national integration--Talk about the Eight Histories of Tang Xiu and the Three Histories of Yuan Xiu

Author: Qu Lindong (Senior Professor, School of History, Beijing Normal University)

Among the canonical histories revised by the ancient Chinese dynasties, the eight histories revised in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, namely the Book of Liang, the Book of Chen, the Book of Northern Qi, the Book of Zhou, the Book of Sui, the Book of Jin, the History of the South, the History of the North, and the History of Liao, Jin, and Song in the late Yuan Dynasty, were two large-scale revision activities under the auspices of the imperial court, and the total of eleven canonical histories obtained by them was nearly half of the "twenty-four histories" seen today. From the fourth year (659) of Emperor Gaozong Xianqing of Tang Dynasty who wrote the "History of the South" and the "History of the North" by the Historian of the Tang Dynasty, to the fifteenth year (1355) of the Yuan Shun Emperor who wrote the "History of Song" by the Historian of the Yuan Dynasty, the distance between the two is about 7 centuries. The Eight Histories of Tang Xiu are the revision, re-revision, or revision of the dynastic histories of the two Jin Dynasties and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the Three Histories of the Yuan Revision are the revisions of the history of the Liao, Jin, and Song Dynasties during the Liao, Song, Xia, and Jin Dynasties, both of which were completed under the situation of national unification. Looking at history from a historical point of view, comparing it in two is very enlightening.

How tang xiu eight history viewed ethnic relations

The Eight Histories of Tang Xiu were roughly divided into three stages: tang taizong Zhenguan ten years (636) to repair the "five dynasties history" of Liang, Chen, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, and Sui; Zhenguan twenty-two years (648) to revise the "Book of Jin" completed; Tang Gaozong Xianqing in the fourth year Li Yanshou rewrote the history of the Eight Dynasties of the Southern and Northern Dynasties to the "History of the South" and "History of the North".

In the fifth year of Wu De (622), Tang Gaozu accepted the suggestion of the chancellor Ling Hu Dedi and issued the "Order Xiao Yu and Other Six Dynasties of History", which is the earlier revision edict issued by the emperor in the history of China's feudal society. The edict contains more than 300 words and contains the following main points: First, it points out that the role of the history books in punishing and judging is that its essence lies in "knowing more about the past and learning from the future." Secondly, it is pointed out that since the Zhou and Qin Dynasties were in the Jin and Song Dynasties, "carrying the books and preparing for the future", this is an achievement in reviewing historical writing. Third, it is pointed out that since the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Wei, Qi, Zhou, and Sui dynasties in the north, and the Liang, Chen, and other six dynasties in the south, "Jian Mu has not been repaired, Ji Chuan is lacking," "Yu Lie's legacy is windy, and he will fall," "Gu Pi has fallen, mourned with deep sighs, has written with nostalgia, and has good resources and integrity," indicating his concern for the revision of the "History of the Six Dynasties." The edict also made arrangements for the revision of the "History of the Six Dynasties" and emphasized that the principle of revision of history was "to examine in detail, to absorb old news, to not publish righteousness, and to have no hidden calligraphy" (Collected Decrees of the Tang Dynasty, vol. 81).

This is a simple and rich edict on the revision of history. From the perspective of time, the whole country was not yet stable at that time; most of the history revision personnel were important members of the imperial court, and it was rare to concentrate on the revision of history, so it took several years without success. However, the significance of this edict is very prominent, one is to treat the history of the southern and northern dynasties equally, and to give affirmation; second, it lays the grand pattern for the revision of history thereafter.

In the third year of Zhenguan (629), Emperor Taizong of Tang set up a history museum in the forbidden place and resumed the revision of the "History of the Six Dynasties". As a result, the shi courtiers launched a very important discussion and formed a consensus: "The house of representatives believes that the Wei shi has both Wei Shu and Wei Huan families, and has been prepared in detail, so it will not be restored." This shows that Emperor Taizong of Tang recognized both the Book of Wei written by the Northern Qi historian Wei Shu, which was orthodox with Eastern Wei, and the Book of Wei (佚), written by the Sui Dynasty historian Wei Huan, which was orthodox with Western Wei as the orthodox. This is consistent with the principle of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan's "Revision of the Six Dynasties History", that is, the history of the Northern Wei Dynasty established by the Xianbei Tuoba nobles should be treated in the same way as the history of other dynasties. Under this consensus, the revision of the "History of the Six Dynasties" proposed by Tang Gaozu was also changed to the revision of the "History of the Five Dynasties", and the results of which were Yao Silian's "Book of Liang" and "Book of Chen", Li Baiyao's "Book of Northern Qi", "Book of Zhou" by Ling Hu Dedi and Cen Wen, and "Book of Sui" by Wei Zheng and so on.

Judging from ethnic relations and related understandings, the "History of the Five Dynasties" revised by the early Tang Dynasty is significantly different from the "Book of Song" written by Shen Yue during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the "Book of Southern Qi" written by Xiao Zixian, and the "Book of Wei" written by Wei Shuo. The Book of Song and the Book of Southern Qi involve the history of the Northern Dynasty called "Wei Yu", and the Book of Wei refers to the history of the Southern Dynasty as "Daoyi Liu Yu", "Daoyi Xiao Daocheng", "Daoyi Xiaoyan" (according to the guidelines of the Song, Qi, and Liang Dynasties), this understanding and title of mutual discrimination between the north and the south has changed in the "History of the Five Dynasties", whether it is the "Book of Liang" and "Book of Chen" involving the history of the Northern Dynasty, or the "Book of Northern Qi", "Book of Zhou", "Book of Sui" involving the history of the Southern Dynasty, and many books add "emperor" or national name to the official name and personal name, It shows the pattern of revision and the style of writing under the situation of political unification.

There is also a noteworthy point in the "History of the Five Dynasties", that is, it is believed that the ancestors of the Northern Zhou Dynasty were descendants of Emperor Yan. Book I of the Book of Zhou, "Emperor Wen's Chronicle of Emperor Wen" records: "Emperor Taizuwen's surname was Yuwen Shi (宇文氏), Zhen Tai (讳泰), the character Black Otter ( Black Otter) and Dai Wuchuan ren (武川人也). It was first from the YanDi Shennong clan, and was destroyed by the Yellow Emperor, and his descendants lived in Shuoye. ...... Its common name is Tianyue Yu, called Jun Yuewen, because the name Yuwen Guo, and thought to be a clan Yan. This account clearly indicates that the ancestors of the rulers of Northern Zhou were after Emperor Yan and their relationship with the Xianbei tribe. This understanding may be related to the Sui Chengbei Zhou and the Tang Cheng Sui, and there is inevitably an element of legend, but in any case, the Tang Dynasty Historian believes that the ancestors of the Xianbei Yuwen tribe were related to Yan huang.

When the "History of the Five Dynasties" was successfully revised, Tang Taizong said the following words to the ministers to make his heart clear: To see the history books of the previous dynasties, to show good and evil, which is enough to serve as a precept for the future. Qin Shi Huang was extravagant and extravagant, had hidden evil intentions, burned books to pit Confucianism, and used the mouth of a talker. Although the Sui Dynasty Emperor was a good scholar and scholar, the historical records of his previous life had achieved nothing, and the things of several generations would be extinguished. The meaning of the transformation is not the same, and will want to see the gains and losses of the former king, as the mirror of the turtle in the body. In a few years, the gong dynasty was the history of the five generations, and the deep vice was cherished, and it was extremely commendable ("Yuan Gui Of the Imperial Household, Ministry of National History, En Award"). This is Tang Taizong's emphasis on historiography as a criterion for evaluating the emperor, which in turn shows his importance to historiography.

Ten years after the completion of the "History of the Five Dynasties", that is, in the twentieth year of Zhenguan (646), Emperor Taizong of Tang issued the "Revised Jin Shu edict" to criticize the eighteen Jin histories that existed at that time. The edict first emphasizes the function of historiography, saying: "Give play to the basis of words, access to the source of the book deed, the great thing, cover the history books for the use of also!" The edict affirmed the achievements of the newly written "Five Dynasties History" of Liang, Chen, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, and Sui: "Do not show goodness and evil, and stimulate the Qingfen of a generation; praise and punish the murderers, and prepare the orders of the hundred kings." Then the pen sharply turned, sharply criticizing the eighteen Jin histories written by his predecessors, holding that they were "recorded in notes, but they were not good histories, and things were recorded in a bad way", some were "bored and widowed", some "tasted the same as painting cakes", some were "not predicted by ZTE", some were "not familiar with entrepreneurship", some "skimmed the emperor", some "only compiled notes", and so on. In short, this is not a history of Jin in the full sense, so "reverie is lonely, deep sighs". These words reflect the reason why Tang Taizong decided in his later years to order the historian to "write the Book of Jin". The requirement for "more writing" is to "write down the old story, cut it into a category of righteousness, annihilate the fall of the servants, and make the invention of the xian" (The Collected Decrees of the Tang Dynasty, vol. 81).

If Tang Gaozu's "Revision of the Six Dynasties History" is the earlier known edict of the revision of the history of the former dynasty, then Tang Taizong's "Revision of the Jin Dynasty" is the most severe criticism of the existing history of the former dynasty that can be seen. In addition to pointing out the various drawbacks of the old History of jin, there are two sentences in the edict that deserve special attention, that is, "not predicted by ZTE" and "Mo Tong is not in entrepreneurship". This at least indicates that Tang Taizong wanted to revise a complete history of the Two Jin Dynasties that would avoid the shortcomings and deficiencies pointed out in the edict. The Book of Jin, completed by Tang Xiu in the twenty-second year of the present Guan Zhenguan, not only has a complete chronicle, chronicle, and biography, but also records the history of the "Sixteen Kingdoms" established by the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Xianbei, Xianbei, Qiang, and other ethnic groups. It can be seen that the newly revised Book of Jin meets the requirements of Tang Taizong. It is worth noting that Tang Taizong also personally wrote four historical treatises for the Book of Jin, so the Book of Jin was once titled "Imperial Writing".

The above six historical books were written during the tang taizong period. After that, in the fourth year of Emperor Gaozong's reign, the historian Li Yanshou compiled 80 volumes of the History of the South and 100 volumes of the History of the North, which were played in the imperial court, and Emperor Gaozong of Tang personally wrote a preface for it (the preface has been written). Li Yanshou used the method of "transcribing" and "concatenating" the old history and "removing its lengthiness and extracting its elegance", and combined the history of the Four Dynasties of Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen into 80 volumes of the Chronicle of the Southern History, and the history of the Four Dynasties of Wei, (Northern) Qi, Zhou, and Sui into 100 volumes of the Northern History. Here, it should be emphasized that Li Yanshou wrote the "History of the South" and "History of the North" to inherit the legacy of his father, Master Li. Master Li "rarely has the ambition to write, often separating the north and south of Song, Qi, Liang, Chen, Wei, Qi, Zhou, and Sui, with the southern book referring to the north as 'Suoyu' and the northern book guide as 'Island Yi'. And each of them knows well in their own country that the book cannot be prepared by other countries, and it is often untrue. Often wanting to make corrections, he will draft "Wu Yue Spring and Autumn" and chronicle it for the north and south. Although Li Yanshou's "History of the South" and "History of the North" written by Li Yanshou did not take the form of chronicles, they were written in the form of a general history of the Chronicle of History. What is important, however, is that Li Yanshou inherited Master Li's ideas in the main thrust of his writings, abandoned the methods of national antagonism and falsely referrals between the north and the south, such as "Suoyu" and "Daoyi," and was consistent with the chronicles of the "Five Dynasties History" of Liang, Chen, Qi, Zhou, and Sui; corrected some of the curved strokes that existed in the old history; and the "History of the South" and the "History of the North" adopted the method of mutual seeing, so that each of them had the role of "preparing for the north and the south." Sima Guang of the Song Dynasty praised the History of the South and the History of the North as "the best history of the modern world" (Literature Tongkao, Jingshu Kao XIX).

In summary, in addition to writing the gains and losses of the rise and fall of each dynasty, the style of characters, the canonical system, and the lessons learned, the eight histories of the tang dynasty have three outstanding characteristics: affirming the historical status of the regime established by the nobles of various ethnic minorities as the mainstay; believing that the ancestors of the Northern Zhou Dynasty came after emperor Yan; changing the position of the three canonical histories written during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, namely the "Book of Song," the "Book of Southern Qi," and the "Book of Wei," in which the north and the south denigrated each other, and replacing the narrative pattern of ethnic antagonism with the division of the north and the south. This is a major advance in the understanding of ethnic relations.

How the Three Histories of Yuan Xiu viewed orthodoxy

The three dynasties of Gaozu, Taizong, and Gaozong in the Tang Dynasty spent more than thirty years successively revising the "Book of Liang", "Book of Chen", "Book of Northern Qi", "Book of Zhou", "Book of Sui", as well as "Book of Jin", "History of the South" and "History of the North", so that the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" written by Chen Shou of the Western Jin Dynasty and the "Book of later Han" written by Fan Ye of the Southern Dynasty were surrendered, and the history of the dynasties could be completed. This is a major achievement of the Sheng Tang Dynasty official revision history books.

Compared with the Eighth History of Tang Xiu, the Three Histories of Yuan Xiu have experienced a long period of time. If it is said that the simultaneous writing of the "five dynasties history" of Liang, Chen, Qi, Zhou, and Sui during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang was a major historical project, then the simultaneous writing of the history of the Liao, Jin, and Song dynasties by the Yuan Dynasty Shichen can also be called a major historical project.

As early as the beginning of the reign of the Ancestors of the Yuan Dynasty, there were already motions to revise the history of Liao and Jin. The chancellor Wang Yan suggested to Yuan Shizu that since the ancient emperors were born and lost, those who can be examined can be examined, so that there is a history. Our country is determined by its might, the heavens are coming, and it is not subordinate, all of which are caused by the judgment of Taizu Temple. If you do not take advantage of the time record, you will be afraid that you will forget it over time. The Jin Shilu still exists, and there are many good governments; the History of liao is scattered and especially unprepared. It is better to have a country of the dead than the history of the dead. If the history museum is not established, future generations will not know that there is a present day. Yuan Shizu "attached great importance to his words, and ordered the history of the country to be attached to the history of Liao and Jin" (Yuan Dynasty Famous Ministers, vol. 12). This situation has too many similarities with the proposal made by The Early Tang Dynasty to Tang Gaozu to revise the history of the previous dynasty. This is not so much a "coincidence" as it is a reflection of the regularity of the Chinese historical tradition.

After the Yuan Dynasty destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty, the history of the Yuan Dynasty was expanded to revise the three histories of Liao, Jin, and Song, but none of them were "successful" (Yuan Shi Yu Ji Biography). The reason for this, according to the people of the time, is mainly that the relationship between the Yuan Dynasty and the Liao, Jin, and Song dynasties is difficult to determine, and in the final analysis, it is a question of which dynasty the Yuan Dynasty takes as the orthodox. The people of the time had two kinds of propositions: one was to imitate the style of Tang Xiu's "Book of Jin", with song as orthodox and Liao and Jin as the records; the other was to imitate the practice of "History of the South" and "History of the North", the Northern Song Dynasty was the history of the Song Dynasty, the Southern Song Dynasty was the history of the Southern Song Dynasty, and the Liao and Jin were the history of the North (Tao Zongyi's "Nancun Shu Gonglu" Volume III "Orthodox Discrimination"). Orthodoxy is difficult to determine, and writing is hindered. It is worth noting that after the Yuan Dynasty, the three dynasties of Yuan Renzong, Yuan Yingzong, and Yuan Wenzong were also very concerned about the revision of the three histories of Liao, Jin, and Song. For the same reason, that is, "the theory of division and integration is orthodox, And Moke has a certainty" (Yu Ji "SendIng Liu Shuxi a Long Journey Sequence"), until the time of Emperor Yuanshun (Huizong), the ministers Wei Wei and Detuo successively played the three historical events again, and in the third year of Zhengzheng (1343), Emperor Yuanshun issued the Three Historical Edicts of Revision, which read: The Three Kingdoms are the system, canon, chaos, and rise and fall of the Holy Dynasty, fearing that they will be lost over time, and they will jointly select the literary ministers, divide the history and set up the situation, and revise the book, so as to see the ancestor Sheng De won the three kingdoms of Liao, Jin, and Song, and to learn from future generations and make a grand ceremony for a generation. The sub-bureau of the National History Institute of Jiaohanlin was revised and specialized in his duties. Ji Xian, secretary, Chongwen and the inner and outer gates, literary liberal arts, talent and morality, can be filled with people every discretion. In the meantime, it is not without public and private bias, and it must be handed over to the president to question whether it is right or wrong, and whether it is possible to rule on whether it is possible. Select people who are old and old, good at Shi Cai, and who are recommended by the public to be the president and official. These records of the Three Kingdoms, wild histories, biographies, inscriptions, and deeds are scattered in four directions, and the provinces and local officials of the provinces and places are transferred, many purchases are made, and everyone is allowed to present, the quantity is given to the price, and the province is consulted, and sent to the history museum for selection.

The most important ideological viewpoint of this edict is to point out that the "system, canon, chaos, and cause of rise and fall" of the Yuan Dynasty all came from the Liao, Jin, and Song dynasties, and explains the inheritance relationship between the Yuan and the Liao, Jin, and Song dynasties; the edict only talks about the dynasties as Liao, Jin, and Song, and does not talk about ethnic boundaries, which is different from the Eight Histories of Tang Xiu; and in connection with this, it emphasizes that the Yuan Dynasty "the ancestors were virtuous and won the reasons for the three kingdoms of Liao, Jin, and Song", highlighting the "shengde" of the ancestors of the Yuan Dynasty, and also euphemistically expressing the orthodox concept of the Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. In addition, the edict also gave clear instructions on matters such as the institutions for revision of history, the selection of historical officials, the principles of revision of history, and the collection of documents.

It is worth noting that the "Three Historical Examples" formulated according to the "Three Historical Edicts" is concise and easy to operate, and its first provision stipulates: "Imperial Records: The calligraphy of the histories of the Three Kingdoms (referring to the Liao, Jin, and Song Dynasties), quasi-"Historical Records", "Western Han Book", and "New Book of Tang". National titles and other matters, quasi-"History of the South and the North". Its last article emphasizes: "Doubts are spread, letters are sent, and the Spring and Autumn Period is quasi-Spring and Autumn." Judging from the several books cited in the various examples, it can be seen that the historical traditions of the two Han Dynasties and the Tang and Song dynasties have had a far-reaching influence, especially the calligraphy of the "History of the South" and the "History of the North", which is of particular reference significance for those involved in the intersection of historical events in the three histories of Liao, Jin, and Song, showing the pattern of historical writing under the political situation of great unification. The remaining articles explain the calligraphy of the Zhi, the Table, and the Liechuan. At this point, the third history of Yuan Xiu was on the right track, which was nearly 80 years since the discussion of the revision of the Liao and Jin second histories.

In the fourth to fifth years of the Reign of emperor Yuan Shun (1344-1345), the historians of the Yuan Dynasty, on the basis of the relevant writings of their predecessors, compiled, published, and played the three histories of Liao, Jin, and Song successively. In the face of the Three Histories, Emperor Yuan Shun said to the chancellor Arutu and others: "The history has been written, and those who have been good before them should take the law as the law, and the evil ones should take the precepts, but those who are not provoked to be kings should also know them." Qing waited for his body to be lost, and the good and evil of the previous generation were encouraged. (Yuan Shi Shun Emperor Ben Ji IV) This remark can be described as a long and serious statement, reflecting the yuan shun emperor's hope that the ministers can learn from history like him and jointly maintain the rule of the Yuan Dynasty. Comparing these words of Emperor Yuanshun with those quoted by Emperor Taizong of Tang to his ministers after the completion of the "History of the Five Dynasties," Tang Taizong only emphasized the enlightening effect of historiography on the emperor, while Emperor Yuanshun held that the history books not only "exhorted" the emperor to be the law, but also the evil ones as a warning, and the ministers should also "encourage the good and evil of the previous generations", further pointing out the significance of the revision of the history of the former dynasty for the entire ruling group. Although the Yuan Dynasty collapsed more than twenty years after that, it was of positive significance that Emperor Yuan Shun completed the revision of the three histories of Liao, Jin, and Song, as well as his understanding of the value of revision.

Later generations have criticized the three histories of the Yuan Dynasty and evaluated them as mediocre, but the histories of the Liao and Jin Dynasties reflect the characteristics of ethnic historiography and some characteristics of the Liao and Jin dynasties systems, and still have their important position in the development of China's multi-ethnic history. Although the "History of Song" is voluminous and divergent, it preserves more records and writings of the Song people, which is worthy of recognition. In a nutshell, the three histories of Liao, Jin, and Song have their own achievements and have their own value of existence.

The process of revision of the history and the integration of nationalities

The Eight Histories of Tang Xiu and the Three Histories of Yuan Xiu are both major measures to revise the history of the former dynasty, what are the similarities and differences between the two? What are the implications of these similarities and differences? These are all questions worth pondering deeply.

About the understanding of the revision of the history of the previous dynasty. Li Yuan pointed out with emotion in the "Edict of the Sixth Dynasty of Repair": "However, Jian Mu has not been repaired, Ji Chuan is lacking, the heat and cold have accumulated, the rumors and customs are still blackmailed, the legacy of Yu Lie, and the yan will fall", "Gu Pi will fall, mourn with deep sighs" and so on. This is similar to the yuan shun emperor's "Xiu San Shi Zhao" at the beginning of the statement that "the three kingdoms for the holy dynasty to take the system, the rules, the cause of chaos, the rise and fall, I am afraid that due to the long years of loss, the joint selection of civilian subjects, the division of history, the compilation of books", there are many similarities.

On the understanding and inheritance of traditional concepts of historiography. Li Yuan's "Revising the Six Dynasties Of History" indicates that it is necessary to inherit the tradition of revision from "Fuxi to descend" to "up to the Jin and Song dynasties". Although the "Three Historical Examples" was not from the Yuan Shun Emperor, it was only implemented when it was approved by the Shun Emperor, and it clearly stated that the "History of History", "Book of Han", "New Book of Tang", and "History of the South and North" should be used as references, and the "Spring and Autumn" as the criterion for the revision of history, the two also contain many similarities.

On the recognition of the utility of historiography. Tang Taizong's ten years of zhenguan, Liang, Chen, Qi, Zhou, and Sui "five dynasties history" was revised, Tang Taizong criticized Qin Shi Huang and Sui Emperor's contempt for historiography, indicating that he aimed to "see the gains and losses of the former king, for the turtle mirror in the body" attitude, and After the completion of the three histories, Emperor Shun of the Yuan Dynasty hoped that the ministers would "have their bodies degenerate and their good and evil in the previous generations were encouraged", reflecting their consistent understanding of the function of historiography.

On the understanding of ethnic relations. Tang Gaozu's "History of the Six Dynasties" and Tang Taizong's "Shuzhao of the Revision of Jin" both show an affirmation of the historical events of the regime established by the ethnic minority nobles, and the "Five Dynasties History" of Liang, Chen, Qi, Zhou, and Sui, which was cultivated during the Tang Dynasty, abandoned the practice of falsely defaming and slandering the history of the South and the North during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and replaced the ethnic antagonism with the division of the North and the South, and also examined the ancestors of the Northern Zhou As descendants of the Yan Emperor. Subsequently, Li Yanshou wrote the "History of the South" and the "History of the North", which discarded the terms of "Island Yi" and "Suoyu", and wrote the history of the Southern and Northern Dynasties with a relatively equal position and tone. All this shows the new atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty's "one family under the heavens" ideology in the writing of canonical history. As a dynasty with many ethnic groups and a vast territory, the Yuan Dynasty, in the process of writing the history of the previous dynasties, involved many ethnic groups such as the Khitan, Jurchen, Han, and Mongols, and also faced the problem of how to view and handle ethnic and ethnic relations. However, in the process of compiling and writing the three histories of Liao, Jin, and Song, the monarchs and courtiers of the Yuan Dynasty did not put forward sharp views from the aspect of nationality or ethnic relations, but discussed the three histories in an ordinary tone, showing a grand arrogance and mind. Shi Chen of the Yuan Dynasty once said: "The emperor of my ancestors treated everyone equally and was deeply sympathetic. He wrote three histories, the first of which was yu Liao. (The History of Liao is appended to the "Table of History of the Liao") As far as the revision of the three histories is concerned, this is not an exaggeration. The Yuan Dynasty's Shi Chen's evaluation of the politics of the Liao, Jin, and Song dynasties seems to be higher than the Liao, followed by jin, and second to the Song. Judging from the relationship between the Yuan and the Three Dynasties, this evaluation is very natural.

On the understanding and disposition of "orthodox" concepts. In the fourth year of Tang Gaozu's reign (621), the historian Ling Hu Dedi suggested to Tang Gaozu the revision of the history of the former dynasty, saying: "Your Majesty was under zen in Sui, and he re-inherited the Zhou dynasty calendar, the second ancestor of the state, and in the Zhou Dynasty. If literature and history do not exist, how can we learn from the present and the past? If the subject is foolish, please fix it. (Old Book of Tang, Biography of Ling Hu De) Here contains a very distinct orthodoxy, which is in line with the requirements of Tang Gaozu, who was born in the Mengmen clan. Looking at the three histories of Yuan Xiu, although he has been entangled in the "orthodoxy" issue for many years and has also put forward a variety of plans, the final decision of the Yuan Shun Emperor went beyond the various views of the people of the time and treated the Liao, Jin, and Song dynasties as equals. This practice of "each being and orthodox" (weighing the volume of the Gengshen Foreign History) is not only a breakthrough in the previous concept of "orthodoxy", but also shows the political self-confidence and prudence of the unified Yuan Dynasty in its treatment of history.

In the above five aspects, the Eight Histories of Tang Xiu and the Three Histories of Yuan Xiu have similarities or similarities, which deserve serious attention and in-depth consideration. Judging from the development of the history of ethnic relations, if the Eight Histories of Tang Xiu reflect the historical features of migration and exchanges, exchanges, and blending between ethnic groups during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, then the Three Histories of Yuan Xiu reflect the appearance of ethnic relations between the Liao, Jin, and Song dynasties. In the history of China's feudal society, the royal revision of the history of the former dynasty is not only a manifestation of political power, but also a responsibility to treat history. This concept was particularly prominent in the activities of the Tang and Yuan dynasties in revising the history of the former dynasty. This concept stems from the development of Chinese history itself, and at the same time is the inheritance and development of the Chinese historical tradition. This is why the Eight Histories of Tang Xiu were conducted under the auspices of the Tang Dynasty, which was mainly built with Han nobles, while the Three Histories of Yuan Xiu were conducted under the auspices of the Yuan Dynasty, which was mainly built with Mongolian nobles as the mainstay, but many of the above similarities or similarities appear. It is true that looking at the essence through the phenomenon is self-evident, that is, this "difference" is only a difference in form or name, and in essence, there is no obvious difference or closer to the demands of the two in all aspects. The internal reason for the emergence of this historical phenomenon is, first of all, driven by the new development of the trend of historical and cultural identity among various nationalities in history; secondly, driven by the new development of the trend of exchanges, exchanges, and blending among various nationalities; and thirdly, driven by the new development of the national political situation from splitting to unification. The revision of history under the auspices of the Royal Family reflects people's understanding of history, reality, politics, culture, ethnicity and interrelationship in many ways. The Eighth History of Tang Xiu and the Third History of Yuan Xiu reflect the historical process of exchanges, exchanges and blending among various ethnic groups in China from the historical level, and are full of rich information and profound foundations in the process of forming the Chinese national community.

Guangming Daily (2021-08-23 edition 14)

Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily