| The purpose of the dissertation is to study Sima Qian's thoughts of economy, examining and appraising academic importance of Historical Records(Shi Ji) by viewpoint of economics.Historical Records, the first general history of chronological biography, is the systematic summarization of economic development in ancient Chinese society, in sections and chapters of which Sima Qian's thoughts of economy is primarily reflected, such as Collected Biography of Production Increase of Merchandise (Huo Zlii Lie Zhuan),Book of Justice Rules (Ping Zhun Shu),Autobiographic Note of the Revered Mr Tai Shi (Tai Shi Gong Zi Xu),etc. Among them, his thoughts of commerce and economy fully embody in Collected Biography of Production Increase of Merchandise, in which the spirit is the idea of Utmost Freedom of Merchandise (Shan Ying Lun),the core is that of mnss people would enjoy the status of higher officials by successful commercial activities (Su Feng Lun),meanwhile, the other important components arc Desire-Natural Verily (Zi Ran Zhi Van Lun),Base of Food and Clothing (Yi Shi /.hi Yuan Lun)-Riches and Benefits (Fu Li Lun),Wealth of Different Walks of Life (Fu Wu Jing Ye Lun) Book of Justice Rules is the indirect expression of his ideas of finance and economy. He historically summarized changes of economic policy happened at the promoting period of more than a century in Han Dynasty as well as consecutive social problems. On one hand, he emphasized the significance of national peace to the development of social economy, coming to realize that the commerce and economy were the incentive of social development through studying the quality and function of money as the form of wealth, on the other hand, while affirming the great importance of rule of justice and average levy in providing state revenue, he also kept sober understanding about the destructive effect upon social economy development caused by the policy cutting down people's benefits. Furthermore, Autobiographic Note of the revered Mr Tai Shi is the key to comprehend the creativity of his economic thoughts. In these sections and chapters, he not onlyoutlined the sequences of development of ancient social economy chronologically, but also wrote down what had happened during early period of Han Dynasty.The appearance of Collected Biography of Production Increase of Merchandise, Book of Justice Rules symbolize not only important mark to gradual maturity of economic thoughts in ancient China, but also one of the distinctively sign that he had the ability to make his own judgement about historical events.In support of his profound opinions of philosophy, historiography, on the basis of abundant historical datum of economy, he created the usage of biography in economic history. By means of conducting on-the-spot investigation of products, customs, living conditions of the people in different places and urban extension, he put forwards a series of economic thoughts, such as Sources of Food and clothing derived from agriculture, mining, handicraft and business, Natunil Verity, incorporating the features of regional economy and geographical economy, all which miraculously enrich and better our theory of ancient economy As the integration of philosophy and economics, of historiography and economics, his theory of economy has epoch-making significance in the history of Chinese economics as well as the history of the development of world culture.The reasons why he developed a school of his own, leaving a name in history, firstly is that he was so great a historian with unique subjective and objective advantages, secondly that he relied on historical status of thousands years development of ancient economy.Sima Qian's thoughts of economy is both accumulatively inevitable result of ancient economic theory and the times outcome of vigorous advancement of economy since Qin and Han Dynasty, in particular the early period of Han Dynasty.Although his theory was not tolerated by feudal society based on natural economy for a long time, nonetheless, he offered to late...
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