Scholars › Historian
Yao Silian
Early Tang historian, one of the Eighteen Scholars of the Prince of Qin, who completed the Book of Liang and Book of Chen.
In an archive hall, tall wooden shelves hold scrolls and bound books with small tags, and one person climbs a ladder with their back turned; a long table in front holds an unrolled river map, a bronze lamp and a copper jug, with a city wall seen through the window.
Also known as Zi Jianzhi
Yao Silian, courtesy name Jianzhi, whose family came from Wukang in Wuxing, served the Chen and Sui dynasties before joining the Tang, where he became one of the Eighteen Scholars of the Prince of Qin's academy and rose to Cavalier Attendant-in-ordinary. Completing the work begun by his father Yao Cha, he finished the Book of Liang (56 chapters) and Book of Chen (36 chapters) in 636. Expressions such as 'a moth flying into the flame' appear in these histories.
Life and times
Dates 557 CE–637 CE