Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji)

This project reinterprets Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji)—a foundational work of Chinese historiography—through a systematic visual language. The original text is organized into five categories: Basic Annals, Tables, Treatises, Hereditary Houses, and Biographies. In this design, each category is translated into a distinct visual system: the circle represents the origin of history, horizontal lines indicate chronological order, vertical lines suggest institutional structure, dotted patterns allude to familial conflicts, and hexagons reflect the expansion of human relationships.
Each section is distinguished through its own color and embossed graphic element, forming a clear visual code that allows readers to intuitively perceive the structure of the text while reading.
The complete set is housed in a natural wooden slipcase, which provides both protection and order while symbolizing a “container of history.” By connecting traditional calligraphic sensibilities with a modern graphic system, the design reintroduces a two-thousand-year-old historical text through a contemporary visual language.