Zhang Xuecheng

Zhang Xuecheng (1738–1801), courtesy name Shizhai and sobriquet Shaoyan, was a native of Kuaiji in Zhejiang (present-day Shaoxing) and a historian, theorist of historiography, gazetteer scholar, and bibliographer of the Qing dynasty. Rather than following the textual-criticism tradition of his age, he stressed coherence and underlying principles, advancing the famous thesis that "the Six Classics are all history" and urging that the classics be read with a historian's eye. His Wenshi Tongyi offers a wide-ranging discussion of the origins of scholarship, the cultivation of the historian, and the principles of composition, and is ranked alongside Liu Zhiji's Shitong as one of the twin peaks of classical Chinese historiographical theory. His Jiaochou Tongyi systematically examines bibliographic method and the organization of documents. He also worked to establish gazetteer studies, emphasizing rigorous structure and solid sourcing. His writing is concise and deeply reflective, blending literary appreciation with philosophical insight.