I'm looking for something like Herodotus or Tacitus from an ancient Chinese source. I've read the classic of Mountains and Seas (more myth based but these books are hard to find for me.)
I'm having a hard time finding books in English that are affordable. Other books I've found have 20 volumes and cost hundreds. I'm not a historian I just read for fun and I really like reading original accounts rather than modern takes. My knowledge of the ancient east is lacking so I'd like to learn.
The older the better.
I appreciate any guidance you have to offer. Thank you.
I would recommend Burton Watson's translation of Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji), which is widely available and very affordable. Written around 100 BC, Sima Qian's book consists of 130 chapters covering Chinese history from the Five Emperors to the Han dynasty. The influence of the Shiji on Chinese historiography is as great as the influence of the Histories on Western historiography. Like Herodotus, Sima Qian travelled extensively and would conduct interviews for his research. He also had access to the imperial archives, and the Shiji cites around a hundred sources, many of which no longer survive.