ABSTRACT
One of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken in the history of official Chinese historiography was the compilation of the “standard histories” of the Liao, Chin, and Sung dynasties under the auspices of the Mongol rulers of the Yuan dynasty. The organization of Chinese official historiography at the Yuan court followed the system and procedure which had evolved from the Han and had become a standard pattern during the T’ang dynasty. The proposal for compiling the historical records of the regimes subjugated by the Mongols was first presented to Khubilai by two Chinese scholars long before his enthronement as founder of the Yuan dynasty. Between the reigns of Emperors Ayurbarwada and Tugh Temur, several officials submitted memorials recommending that the Liao, Chin, and Sung histories be compiled. The three histories project was finally launched with full vigor under Emperor Toghon Temur after decades of lethargy due to political and ideological polemics over the issue of legitimate succession.
