Sima qian biography of jing ke assassin
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How Jing Ke planned but failed to assassinate the to-be first Emperor of China
China is no exception in the world : it defines itself physically through borders and creates a cohesive cultural group thanks to historical references. One of these founding events is Jing Ke's attempt to kill the king of Qin, who was to become the First Emperor of China. This story has been told over and over through centuries. It was first recorded in Jing Ke’s biography in Sima Qian’s 司马迁 Shiji 史记 (Records of the Grand Historian) More recently, it was shown in two commercial films : Zhang Yimou’s 张艺谋 Yingxiong 英雄 (Hero) and Chen Kaige’s 陈凯歌 Jing Ke ci Qin Huang 荆轲刺秦皇 (The Emperor and the Assassin). Both films offer contrastive perspectives. A comparative analysis of these differing versions of the same (hi)story reveals a striking parallel between past and present. Tradition shall continue to stand as a reference and play an active role in the assertion of a Chinese China.
Dates and vers
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The Emperor and the Assassin
1998 Chinese film
The Emperor and the Assassin (Chinese: 荊軻刺秦王; pinyin: Jīngkē cì qínwáng; lit. 'Jing Ke Assassinates the King of Qin'), also known as The First Emperor, is a 1998–1999 Chinese historical romance film based primarily on Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin, as described in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian. The film was directed by Chen Kaige and stars Gong Li, Zhang Fengyi, Li Xuejian, and Zhou Xun. The film was well received critically and won the Technical Prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.[1] It was the most expensive Chinese film made up to that time, costing US$20 million.[2]
Plot
[edit]The film covers much of Ying Zheng's career, recalling his early experiences as a hostage and foreshadowing his dominance over China. He is essentially depicted as an idealist seeking to impose a peace or unity on the world. However, his experiencing of various betr
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Jing Ke
Ancient kinesisk assassin
Jing Ke (died 227 BC) was a youxia during the late Warring States period of Ancient China. As a retainer of Crown Prince Dan of the Yan state, he was infamous for his failed assassination attempt on King Zheng of the Qin state, who later became Qin Shi Huang, the Qin Dynasty's first kejsare (from 221 BC to 210 BC). His story is told in the chapter titled Biographies of Assassins (刺客列傳) in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian.
Background
[edit]In 230 BC, the Qin state began conquering other states as part of King Zheng's mål to unify the country under one rule. The Qin army, having already achieved absolute military supremacy over the other states since 260 BC, first successfully annihilated the state of denne, the weakest of the Seven Warring States. Two years later, the once-formidable Zhao state was also conquered in 228 BC.[2]
Zhao's northeastern neighbor, the Yan state was next in line to be threatened by Qin