Prince Dan of Yan《燕丹子》is a story by an anonymous author (or authors) that relates the famous story of Jing Ke and his failed attempt to assassinate Ying Zheng, the king of the state of Qin during the late Warring States period (227 BCE to be exact).

This was an historical event, attested in Sima Qian’s monumental Historical Records《史記》, which was completed around 91 BCE. There is also mention of Jing Ke in the Huainanzi《淮南子》. It is not known when precisely Prince Dan of Yan first appeared, but it is surmised to have been composed sometime between the late Eastern Han and Early Western Jin, or about 150 CE to 200 CE.¹ Its contents are a bit different from the historical accounts in Sima Qian’s work, the latter omitting some incidents because Sima Qian did not find them credible. An example is when a crow’s head turns white and a horse grows horns. Prince Dan of Yan also excludes some scenes that Sima Qian’s biography of Jing Ke includes, such as Jing Ke’s background, his travels before he arrives in Yan, and the subplot with Gao Jianli and his assassination attempt on Ying Zheng.² Prince Dan of Yan is also narrated more like a work of fiction than the traditional biographical style, omitting precise dates and background information. Prince Dan of Yan adds other scenes to show Jing Ke’s personality and his testing of Prince Dan’s understanding and appreciation.