Emperor as Son of Heaven
Mandate of Heaven
Portents
Yin and Yang
Five Phases
| Political regime | Element | Color | Planet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow Emperor | Earth | Yellow | Saturn |
| Xia | Wood | Green | Jupiter |
| Shang | Metal | White | Venus |
| Zhou | Fire | Red | Mars |
| Qin/Han | Water | Black | Mercury |
Book of Changes (I-Ching or Yijing)
Book of Documents (Shujing)
Book of Songs (Shijing)
Book of Rites (Liji)
Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu or Ch’un ch’iu)
Sima Tan (Ssu-ma T’an), d. 110 BCE
Court Astrologer
Sima Qian (Ssu-ma Ch’ien), 145-87? BCE
Succeeds father as Court Astrologer
Organization
1. Annals
2. Tables
3. Treatises
4. Hereditary houses of pre-imperial period
5. Biographies/Descriptions of Foreign Peoples
Model for later dynastic histories
Ban Biao (Pan Piao), d. 54 CE
Private history
Ban Gu (Pan Ku), 32-92 CE
Court historian
Ban Zhao, (Pan Chao), 45-120 CE
Historiography office