Sima Qian

About Sima Qian

Sima Qian (c. 145–86 BCE) is one of the most pivotal figures in Chinese historiography, often regarded as the "Grand Historian" of China. His monumental work, the *Records of the Grand Historian* (*Shiji*), set the standard for dynastic histories for millennia, establishing the biographical and thematic structure that subsequent historians would follow. This immense foundational influence explains his high ranking at #603 in MIT’s Historical Popularity Index, placing him among the most important figures across global history, spanning diverse fields and time periods.

Despite his profound legacy, Sima Qian's modern internet footprint suggests a significant underattention gap. In 2025, his Wikipedia page accrued approximately 133K views, resulting in an attention gap score of -3x, indicating he receives three times less attention than expected relative to his historical importance. For context, this is substantially lower than contemporary figures from the same field; for instance, Tacitus garnered 371K views in the same year. This discrepancy highlights a notable disconnect where the foundational chronicler of an ancient civilization is less visible online than his Roman counterparts.

His online interest remains relatively stable, with a slight Year-over-Year change of +1.0% and 2025 Momentum holding steady at +1% from Q1 to Q3, suggesting consistent, albeit modest, modern engagement.