Ge Xuan

Ge Xuan
Qing Dynasty illustration.
Taoist of Eastern Wu
Born	164
Died	244 (aged 80)
Names
Traditional Chinese	葛玄
Simplified Chinese	葛玄
Pinyin	Gé Xuán
Wade–Giles	Ko Hsüan
Courtesy name	Xiaoxian (孝先)

Ge Xuan (164–244) was a Chinese Taoist. He was the ancestor of Ge Hong and a resident of Danyang in the state of Eastern Wu during the period of the Three Kingdoms; namely 220–280 CE. Ge Xuan's paternal grandnephew, Ge Hong, titled him Ge Xuan Gong, which translates into "Immortal Lord" or "Transcendent Duke". Ge Hong wrote at length about his great uncle, and claimed that some alchemical texts from the Baopuzi originally came from him. Ge Xuan is also portrayed by his descendant Ge Chaofu as having been the first recipient of the Lingbao scriptures. He is remembered as a mythological member of the Chinese Ge family and a prominent figure in the development of early Chinese history Daoism.

Ge Xuan was a legendary figure who was associated with various Taoist traditions. He belonged to a family of great official status and was considered intelligent since birth. During his early childhood, Ge Xuan was depicted as an inquisitive learner as he read several books such as the Confucian classics (and commentaries) plus numerous other philosophical and historical records. Due to his keen fascination for the philosophies of Laozi and Zhuangzi, he attained a great deal of spiritual wisdom about how the Dao worked in daily life. Consequently, at age sixteen, Ge Xuan obtained great fame on the North banks of the Yangtze River.[1]

Ge Xuan's parents died while he was an adolescent. In effect, this initiated his obsession with the study of the Dao (the ways in which life works). Ge Xuan's pursuits led him to live in utter isolation in areas such as mountains and forests. This secluded environment allowed Ge Xuan to strictly discipline himself mentally, spiritually, and physically. The Dao requires intense discipline for its followers because the focal purpose is to achieve longevity or even better, immortality. Ge Xuan visited places like Lingyue Mountain, Chicheng Mountain, and Luofu Mountain. Furthermore, he also visited extraordinary individuals, ate ganoderma lucidum (a type of mushroom), setose thistle and relentlessly tried to engross himself in self-refinement.[2]