Changes in trends or situations arise from the clashes and stimuli of factors and forces. This was an explanation of history proposed by the famous ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian (145 or 135?-? BC). “Events” were the basic trends or situations in the world; their “flow” was how they changed over time like flowing rivers. Sima Qian felt that while history was composed of the stories of people, it could not be changed by the will of any one person or persons. Rather, the outcome of the flow of events was basically determined by the clash or stimulus of various factors and forces involved in the process. This embodies ideas of the convergence and interaction of historical forces.