Yuan Shu

Yuan Shu (1131–1205), courtesy name Jizhong, was a native of Jian'an in Jianzhou (present-day Jian'ou, Fujian) during the Southern Song dynasty. A jinshi of the first year of the Longxing era, he served in posts including judge of Wenzhou, professor of Yanzhou, compiler in the National History Office, and Vice Minister of Works concurrently overseeing the Directorate of Education. Drawing on Zizhi Tongjian, he reorganized its material around events and produced the Tongjian Jishi Benmo, founding the event-based narrative form, which stands alongside the annalistic and biographical forms as one of the three major genres of Chinese historiography. The library holds 65 of his works, mostly annotated translations and separate volumes of that work, covering history from the pre-Qin and Han through the Five Dynasties. His clear, well-organized narratives help readers grasp the full course of events and have had a lasting influence on later historical compilation and popularization.