The Master Who Embraces Simplicity

Written in 317–318 CE during the turbulent Jin dynasty, The Master Who Embraces Simplicity (抱朴子, Baopuzi) is one of the most remarkable texts in the history of Chinese thought. Ge Hong’s monumental work is divided into the esoteric Inner Chapters, on alchemy and immortality, and the Outer Chapters, on society and government.

The ritual codes, philosophical discourses, educational primers and religious classics that shaped Chinese civilization for over two millennia. Where the narrative classics tell China’s stories, these texts encode its institutions, its ethics and its inner life.