Abstract: Since 1900, the studies on Sima Qian and his Shiji(Hisitorical Records)have received great attention in Japanese academia and literary circles. These studies have characterized fundamental research in the first fifty years since 1900, and then reached two peaks in 1970s and 1990s. The traditional research approaches have gradually been influenced by pragmatism and consumerism. In the new millennium, these studies have developed an interdisciplinary, all-embracing and diversified tendency. This leads to the gradual construction of Sima Qian’s image as a litterateur, who focused not merely on politics but promoted the spirit of freedom, enjoyed critical thinking and followed advanced economic thoughts.

Keywords:Shiji; Taijun Takeda; Fumio Okazaki; Katuhisa Fujida; pragmatism

Author: Chen Lingling,Ph.D. in Literature awarded by Nagoya University, Japan, is Lecturer of Comparative Literature at School of Humanities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.This article is connected to the Major Project “Compilation and Research of Overseas Life Writing on Modern Chinese People” (IN. 11&ZD138) sponsored by the National Social Science Foundation of China.Email: chlling@sjtu.edu.cn