Daoism · Origins & people
Ge Hong brings cultivation and learning together
283–343 CE
Ge Hong pursued the possibility of immortality through cultivation and alchemy while engaging Confucian learning and political questions. His writings preserve a varied intellectual world in southern China. He sought useful methods across traditions rather than assuming that one school answered every problem.
Why it matters
His career broadens the picture of Daoism beyond aphorisms, bringing practices of the body, learned writing, and responses to political disorder into view.
About the date
Lifespan follows the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy; activity spans several decades.
Jurong
Native district identified in the biographical source; approximate city orientation.
city orientation
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