Book introduction

　Although the Warring States period is a pivotal era in Chinese history, existing research on the early to mid-Warring States period and on states other than Qin has stagnated. A major problem is the lack of a comprehensive perspective that connects the late with the earlier stages of the Warring States period or the Spring and Autumn period to the Qin dynasties. A key factor in this stagnation is the scarcity of historical materials related to the Warring States period.　
　Given this situation, the Shiji remains the most important source for a study of the Warring states period. However, the accounts related to the period in the Shiji are fraught with contradictions and chronological discrepancies, making it difficult to use as a historical source.
　Therefore, the present study aims to elucidate the characteristics of the Shiji, focusing on the biographies of key figures from the mid-Warring States period.