First of all, in the 1980s, Rong Mengyuan, a famous historian in China, divided historical materials into four categories, which are generally considered to be a relatively comprehensive and reasonable classification of traditional historical materials.

The first category is books and newspapers, including historical records, historical works, document compilation and group members outside the history department.

The second category is documents, including government documents, group documents and private documents.

The third category is physical objects, including production tools, means of subsistence and relics of historical events.

The fourth category is word of mouth, including memoirs, investigation records, mass legends and literary works.

Secondly, (1) historical documents: historical books written by people close to the time to be studied are important historical materials for studying at that time. Mainly: classics, history, philosophers, anthology, archives, local chronicles;

(2) Thought or academic works: reflecting people's thoughts, concepts and academic development at that time;

(3) Literary works: Although the contents of literary works are fictional, they can often reflect people's lives, thoughts and concepts at that time, and contribute to the study of cultural history, ideological history and social life history;

(4) Newspapers and magazines: ordinary newspapers, as important historical materials of modern history, help to understand the development of some events and people's understanding of things from different angles, while entertaining newspapers and magazines can observe people's culture and life at that time;

(5) Handwritten legacy in daily life: including ancient farmers' calendars, account books of shops, land contracts, private letters, etc. Because most of these things are not deliberately handed down, they can often reflect the actual life and thoughts at that time more truly;

(6) Foreign writings. There are many valuable people in foreigners' records about the history of China. For example, The History of Mongolia in The Travels of Kyle Polo and Persia Raster is an important document to study yuan dynasty history. Korea's Li Chao cheats are very helpful to study the history of pre-Qin. Since modern times, with the increasingly frequent exchanges between China and foreign countries, foreigners' evaluation of China has become an increasingly important source of information for studying the history of China.

Finally, discuss with your favorite type, for example, you can combine your own understanding and opinions with literary works.