Page:A history of Chinese literature - Giles.djvu/229

 Sung Ch'i did not like to seem to favour any one, and rather than offend the rest, continued to sit and shiver. The so-called New History of the Tang Dynasty, which he produced in co-operation with Ou-yang Hsiu, is generally regarded as a distinct improvement upon the work of Liu Hsu. It has not, however, actually superseded the latter work, which is still included among the recognised dynastic histories, and stands side by side with its rival.

Meanwhile another star had risen, in magnitude to be compared only with the effulgent genius of Ssu-ma Ch'ien. Sst?-MA KUANG (1019-1086) entered upon an official career and rose to be Minister of State. Bux he opposed the great reformer, Wang An-shih, and in 1070 was compelled to resign. He devoted the rest of his life to the completion of his famous work known as the T'ung Chien or Mirror of History, a title bestowed upon it in 1084 by the Emperor, because "to view anti- quity as it were in a mirror is an aid in the administra- tion of government." The Mirror of History covers a period from the fifth century B.C. down to the beginning of the Sung dynasty, A.D. 960, and was supplemented by several important works from the author's own hand, all bearing upon the subject. In his youth the latter had been a devoted student, and used to rest his arm upon a kind of round wooden pillow, which roused him to wakefulness by its movement every time he began to doze over his work. On one occasion, in childhood, a small companion fell into a water-kong, and would have been drowned but for the presence of mind of Ssu-ma Kuang. He seized a huge stone, and with it cracked the jar so that the water poured out. As a scholar he Had a large library, and was so particular in the hand-

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