A Review of the Studies on the History of the Han Dynasty by the Scholars in the Ming Dynasty

Since the emergence,Records of the Grand Historian,History of the Han Dynasty,and Book of the Later Han had been studied in successive dynasties.Men of letters focused their attention on the art of composition while historians,historical facts.In the Ming Dynasty,both emperors and common people were keen on the history of the Han Dynasty.They made exquisite textual researches and often quoted from the books in arguments.The studies of the Han history by the Ming scholars covered a wide scope from the sacredness to the common customs and their approaches,ideas and findings had exerted deep influences on the later generations.Moreover,these studies somehow reflected the tendency of historical study in the Ming Dynasty.