{"id":3732,"date":"2026-05-16T14:00:53","date_gmt":"2026-05-16T06:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chienmu.utaipei.edu.tw\/?post_type=activitys&p=3732"},"modified":"2026-05-20T00:28:45","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T16:28:45","slug":"history-202605","status":"publish","type":"activitys","link":"http:\/\/chienmu.utaipei.edu.tw\/en\/activitys\/history-202605\/","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udd0e\u3010Public Lecture\uff5cOnline Live Stream\u3011Qian Mu's Former Residence Su Shu Lou Lecture Hall \u2013 Historical Biographies and Life Series: "The Long-Standing Sorrows of the Han-Xiongnu Border: Biographies of the Xiongnu, Part 1", Professor Jiang Yitai, May 16, 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

\ud83d\udd0e\u3010Public Lecture\uff5cOnline Live Stream\u3011Qian Mu's Former Residence Su Shu Lou Lecture Hall \u2013 Historical Biographies and Life Series: "The Long-Standing Sorrows of the Han-Xiongnu Border: Biographies of the Xiongnu, Part 1", Professor Jiang Yitai, May 16, 2016
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\n\ud83d\udd34Online course URL:
\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/GPu5ZdAthRs<\/a>
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\n\ud83d\udce0Please help us fill out the questionnaire so we can improve!
\nhttps:\/\/forms.gle\/ZfxAGctJJjBW6YMs5<\/a>
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\nThey came from the distant grasslands and cold winds, without cities or written records, living a nomadic life, following the water and grass, relying on bows and arrows for sustenance. Their children could ride sheep across the plains before they could speak; their warriors were not bound by etiquette, knowing only when it was advantageous to advance and when it was disadvantageous to retreat. In the eyes of the people of the Central Plains, they were tigers and wolves, a persistent nightmare of the north. Yet, Sima Qian, with an equal perspective, truthfully recorded the historical changes, social systems, and customs of this people without a written language in the official history of the Han Dynasty.
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\nThe "Biography of the Xiongnu" is one of the longest biographies in the *Records of the Grand Historian*, and also the earliest systematic historical document in China to record the nomadic peoples of the northern grasslands. Spanning over a millennium, from the Shanrong and Xianyun during the reigns of Emperor Yao and Shun to the late reign of Emperor Wu of Han, it is a grand and comprehensive account. Beyond the recurring battles and victories, Sima Qian meticulously depicts the cultural world of these nomadic peoples. He does not show contempt for the customs of the Xiongnu, and occasionally even reveals a certain admiration: their systems are simple and easy to implement; in times of urgency, they learn riding and archery; in times of peace, they enjoy tranquility. As later scholars have compared it, the *Records of the Grand Historian*'s account of the Xiongnu is like Tacitus's account of the Germanic peoples\u2014it seems "somewhat unusually" reflects on this uncivilized people.
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\nHowever, for Sima Qian, the true core of this biography might lie in the profound sigh at the end. Using the story of Confucius writing the *Spring and Autumn Annals*, he expressed his own dilemma: he could not explicitly state how much national strength and lives Emperor Wu of Han's continuous conquests had depleted, nor could he pretend to ignore it. "The key lies in selecting the right generals and ministers," seemingly lamenting the failure in personnel management, but in reality, he used his writing style to leave the merits and demerits of this great ruler to future readers to contemplate.
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\nFrom the descendants of the Xia dynasty to the siege of Baideng by Emperor Gaozu of Han, from Modu Chanyu's patricide and establishment of the Han dynasty to Huo Qubing's sealing of the wolf's lair, Professor Jiang Yitai will guide us in revisiting this masterpiece at the Qian Mu Former Residence lecture series. Where did Sima Qian choose to begin and end his writing? To whom did he express his sympathy? Where did his critique lie? What enlightenment does it offer us today? We welcome you to read this expansive and profoundly written "Biography of the Xiongnu."
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\n\ud83d\udcc6Lecture Time: May 16th, 2016 (Saturday), 2:00 PM \u2013 4:00 PM
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\n\ud83c\udfe1Lecture Location:
\n"Qian Mu's Former Residence - Open Course Channel" (Online Live Stream)
\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@chienmu.house.classroom<\/a>
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\n\ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83c\udfebLecture Speaker: Professor Jiang Yitai, PhD in Chinese Literature from National Taiwan University, currently teaches at the Department of Chinese Literature at National Taiwan University and the Department of Languages at Taipei Municipal University. He follows the strict rules of the Spring and Autumn Annals within the Faculty of Arts, yet also enjoys exploring the intersection of history and literature. While observing worldly affairs with the sharp eye of Sima Qian, he most admires the passion and romanticism of humanity for its ideals. He transforms classical Chinese texts into stories of human nature observation, always able to find familiar souls in the yellowed pages that resonate with modern readers.
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\n\ud83d\udd14Lecture Fee: Free to Read
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\n\ud83d\ude80 Feel free to leave comments and discuss in the chat room or comment section. If you have any questions, we will invite a teacher to answer them :)
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\n# Historical Records # Biographies of the Xiongnu
\n# Xiongnu # Modu Chanyu # Siege of Baideng
\n# Emperor Wu of Han # Wei Qing # Huo Qubing
\n# Marriage Alliance # The Plot at Mayi # Sealing the Wolf Mountain
\n# Sima Qian # Historian's Writing Style # Considering Both Others and Oneself
\n# Han-Xiongnu War # Nomadic Civilization # Tacitus
\n# Western Han Dynasty Politics # Unification # Frontier History
\n# Jiang Yitai # Su Shulou Lecture Hall
\n# Public Lectures # Free Lectures
\n# Online Courses # Online Lectures
\n# Humanity and History # Qian Mu's Former Residence
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":3733,"template":"","course_cat":[15],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/chienmu.utaipei.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/activitys\/3732"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/chienmu.utaipei.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/activitys"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/chienmu.utaipei.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/activitys"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chienmu.utaipei.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/chienmu.utaipei.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"course_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/chienmu.utaipei.edu.tw\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/course_cat?post=3732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}