The Dongguan hanji 東觀漢記 is an alternative history of the Eastern Han period 東漢 (25-220 AD), written in a biographic-thematic style (jizhuanti 紀傳體). The name is derived from the palace hall where the historiographic bureau was located. The origin of the Dongguan hanji can be traced back to an official biography for the Guangwu emperor 光武帝 (temple name Han Shizu 漢世祖, r. 25-57), founder of the Eastern Han dynasty, that was compiled by a team of historiographers under the guidance of Ban Gu 班固 who also compiled the Hanshu 漢書, the official dynastic history of the Former Han period (206 BCE - 8 AD). The Dongguan hanji was permanently expanded through the decades and acheived a volume of 114 chapters (juan "scrolls") during the reign of emperor Huandi 漢桓帝 (r. 146-167). During the reign of emperor Lingdi 漢靈帝 (r. 167-188) the collection was enlarged by "several dozen scrolls" more. The bibliographic treatise (33 Jingjizhi) of the Suishu 隋書 speaks of a 143 scrolls long version, but of the Songshi 宋史 (203 Yiwenzhi) only of 8 scrolls (!). The recent version of the Dongguan hanji is thus a reconstruced version of only 24 scrolls that was compiled during the 18th century. Even in this version many chapters are very defective, so that most biographies, tables and treatises are incomplete. The Dongguan hanji comprises imperial biographies (diji 帝紀), tables (biao 表) of the state offices, treatises or monographies (zhi 志) about geography, astronomy and music, rites, ritual music, offerings, carts and clothing, finally normal biographies (liezhuan 列傳) of empresses and their clans (waiqi 外戚), the imperial house (zongshi 宗室), meritorious officials (gongchen 功臣), eminent women (lienü 列女) and finally the barbarians (waiyi 外裔). The last chapters of the today-extant version are biographies of mighty potentates that made their own "dynasties" (zaiji 載記). With this structure the Dongguan hanji fulfilled all requirements of a dynastic history and was in fact the official history of the Eastern Han period until Fan Ye 范曄 published his Houhanshu 後漢書 in 445. Source: Zhongguo da baike quanshu, Zhongguo lishi, vol. 1, p. 177 f. Contents 1-3 帝紀 Diji Imperial biographies 4 年表 Nianbiao Chronological table - 百官 Baiguan Central government officials - 諸王 Zhuwang Imperial princes (missing) - 王子侯 Wangzi hou Imperial marquesses (missing) - 功臣 Gongchen Meritorious ministers (missing) - 恩澤侯 Enze hou Persons made marquess because of merits (missing) 5 志 Zhi Treatises - 地理 dili local administration - 律曆 lüli measures and calendar - 禮 li rituals - 樂 yue ritual music - 郊祀 jiaosi state offerings - 車服 chefu chariots and robes 6-23 列傳 Liezhuan Normal and collectiv biographies - 6 外戚 Waiqi Empresses and their relatives - 7 宗室 Zongshi Imperial relatives - ... - 22 列女外裔 Lienü, waiyi Eminent women and barbarians - 24 (missing)

Exemplarious translation: The following short passage is what is left from the biography of emperor Han Lingdi. The fragments nevertheless give an impression of how such an imperial biography looked like. 3.6 孝靈皇帝 建寧元年，帝到夏門外萬壽亭，群臣謁見。 二年，故太僕杜密、故長樂少府李膺各為鉤黨。尚書（白）〔曰〕下本州考治。時上年十三，問諸常侍曰：「何鉤黨？」諸常侍對曰：「鉤黨人即黨人也。」即可其奏。 熹平元年，會稽許昭聚眾自稱大將軍，立父生為越王，攻破郡縣。 二年，陳行相師遷奏，沛相魏愔，前為陳相，與陳王寵交通。 四年，使中郎將堂谿典請雨，因上言復崇高山為嵩高山。 光和元年，有白衣人入德陽殿門，言「梁伯夏教我上殿」，與中黃門桓賢語，因忽不見。 有黑氣墮所御溫明殿庭中，如車蓋隆起，奮迅，五色，有頭，體長十餘丈，形貌似龍。 四年初，置騄驥廄，丞領受郡國調馬。 五年，帝起四百尺觀于阿亭道。 中平二年，造萬金堂于西園。 三年，又造南宮玉堂，築廣成苑。 鑄黃鐘二千斛，懸于嘉德端門內。 Emperor Xiaoling (r. 167-188 AD) Year Jianning 1 [168]. The emperor went to the Wanshou Pavilion outside the Xiamen Gate to receive his ministers. Year [Jianning] 2 [169]. The old XX Du Mi and the old XX Li Ying created a "crooked" party. Year Xiping 1 [172]. Xu Zhao from Guiji assembled troops and called himself Great General. He enthroned Fu (his father?) Sheng as the King of Yue and destroyed many districts [within the] commandery. Year [Xiping] 2 [173]. Translated by Ulrich Theobald.