Gan Bao
Encyclopedia
Gan Bao (fl.
315, died 336) was a Chinese
historian
and writer at the court of Emperor Yuan of Jin
. He was a native of southern Henan
. After diligent study of the classics during his childhood and youth, Gan Bao was appointed head of Office of History at the court. Apparently the position was granted to him in recognition of his skills which he demonstrated in his Chin-chi, presumably a written account of earlier court activities.
Gan Bao subsequently occupied other prominent positions at the court, but today he is best remembered for the book In Search of the Supernatural: The Written Record
(Sou-shen Chi), which he probably compiled. An extremely important early example of the Zhiguai genre, the book comprises several hundred short stories and witness reports about spirits and supernatural events. A contemporary biography mentions that Gan Bao became interested in these matters after a member of his family survived more than 10 years sealed inside a tomb with the help of a ghost which brought her food.
Floruit
Floruit , abbreviated fl. , is a Latin verb meaning "flourished", denoting the period of time during which something was active...
315, died 336) was a Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and writer at the court of Emperor Yuan of Jin
Emperor Yuan of Jin
Emperor Yuan of Jin , personal name Sima Rui , courtesy name Jingwen , was an emperor of the Jin Dynasty and the first of the Eastern Jin Dynasty...
. He was a native of southern Henan
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
. After diligent study of the classics during his childhood and youth, Gan Bao was appointed head of Office of History at the court. Apparently the position was granted to him in recognition of his skills which he demonstrated in his Chin-chi, presumably a written account of earlier court activities.
Gan Bao subsequently occupied other prominent positions at the court, but today he is best remembered for the book In Search of the Supernatural: The Written Record
In Search of the Supernatural
In Search of the Supernatural is a 4th century CE Chinese compilation of legends, short stories and hearsay concerning spirits, ghosts and other supernatural phenomena...
(Sou-shen Chi), which he probably compiled. An extremely important early example of the Zhiguai genre, the book comprises several hundred short stories and witness reports about spirits and supernatural events. A contemporary biography mentions that Gan Bao became interested in these matters after a member of his family survived more than 10 years sealed inside a tomb with the help of a ghost which brought her food.