Chapter 16

Chinese civilization has long prided itself on its tradition of recording history, yet the ancients were not particularly skilled at interpreting it. The reasons for documenting history are complex, but a primary motivation was to record the successes and failures of past administrations to provide a reference for future sovereigns. Their methods of interpretation, however, remained superficial, focusing only on the cause, process, and result of specific individuals, events, or policies to glean a few simple lessons. Rarely could anyone connect similar types of events to conduct a systematic analysis and address a series of interrelated problems. But for Ma Yu, in his previous life, connecting events of the same nature was one of the most fundamental methods of historical research. Anyone with even a slight interest in history prefers to analyze the sweep of five thousand years through specific categories of events; otherwise, their findings are unlikely to be taken seriously. Even amateur historians habitually do this when boasting in conversation. If you cannot synthesize similar historical events, you would be looked down upon even in online forums.