Chapter 1 introduces the notion of “living historiography,” a corollary to “living institutional history,” to describe the dynamic interaction between the writing of official state historiography in the Song dynasty and ongoing political developments. An examination of the theoretical operation of state historiography against the composition of the surviving sources reveals that conflicts between Confucian literati and the monarchy, and between factions within the bureaucracy, often thwarted and shaped the routine (and supposedly neutral) processing of official documents into official history. At the same time, a subgenre of exemplary historiography intended for imperial reading and reference selected preferred “precedents” (gushi) from his material as guides for future political action. Over time, these compilations grew into an exemplary history of the dynasty. This chapter, and the ensuing Chapter 8, generate an analytical framework that explains how this process led to the present, received narrative of Song history. Notions of metanarrative and allegorical interpretation, akin to ideas from postmodern deconstruction, help to examine the rhetorical and literary manipulation of these sources.