Ge hong autobiography range

He was the originator of first aid in traditional Chinese medicine and influenced later generations. Ge Hong was born near Jurong county in AD , as the third son into a well-established family originally from Eastern Wu. He studied alchemy and Taoism with Zuo Ci. He died when Ge Hong was 13 and his family went into decline. Ge Hong is of an ascetic nature and did not like honor and gain.

Moreover, Ge Hong here makes explicit references to his predecessors, becoming the first Chinese author of an auto- biographical work to see such writings as.

He was not especially found of classic literature, but rather especially appreciates the guidance of the divine. By Ge Hong's time, although the family was declining, he was employed in numerous high ranking positions within the bureaucracy of the time. In his public service role as an official, he was often asked to appraise his friends and acquaintances as possible candidates for government office positions and was also chosen to perform military service.

However, he was unhappy with his life as an official and general. Although he never rejected Confucianism , he grew interested in Taoist cultivation and elixirs to achieve the spiritual freedoms of Taoist Immortality. There, he gathered herbal medicine , refined elixirs , and documented numerous cases of illness. He also married Bao Liang's daughter Bao Gu , who excelled in the techniques of moxibustion.

In the second year of Jianxing of Emperor Min AD , Ge Hong returned to his hometown, but still lived in seclusion and did not work as an official. When he arrived in Guangzhou, he was asked to remain, so Ge Hong once again lived in seclusion in Mount Luofu to refine elixirs. His autobiography was the last part of his collected writings.

Hong's main contributions were in Chinese alchemy and medicine, and also as a religious scholar integrating Confucianism and Taoism. Ge Hong questioned ancient writings and was against the traditionalism of the time, whereby older writings were valued while newer ideas were less respected, and instead emphasized innovation and methods which involved experimentation and results.