Сыма Цянь
Scholars have questioned the historicity of legendary kings of the ancient periods given by Sima Qian. Sima Qian began the "Shiji" with an account of the five rulers of supreme virtue, the Five Emperors, who modern scholars, such as those from the Doubting Antiquity School, believe to be originally local deities of the peoples of ancient China. Sima Qian sifted out the elements of the supernatural and fantastic which seemed to contradict their existence as actual human monarchs, and was therefore criticized for turning myths and folklore into sober history.