Page "Ge Hong" Paragraph 38

According to his official biography, Ge refused these positions on Gan Bao ’ s staff.

However, as with many details of Ge ’ s official life, it is difficult to separate fact from literary persona.

The bibliographic treatise of the Sui shu ( History of the Sui Dynasty ) contains an entry for a work entitled, Hanshu chao ( Notes on the History of the Former Han ), a text that is now lost, by Senior Recorder Hong.

Moreover, authorship of the Xijing zazhi ( Miscellanies of the Western Capital ) — a collection of historical anecdotes that probably dates from the Han period — was long ascribed to Ge.

It appears that Ge possessed some reputation for historical writing during his own lifetime, and so the possibility that he accepted an appointment on Gan Bao ’ s staff is not entirely out of the question.