Gan Ji
Encyclopedia
Gan Ji was a Taoist
priest who lived during the late Han Dynasty
period of Chinese history
.
According to the Book of Later Han
, during the reign of the Emperor Shun of Han
(125 – 144), Gan Ji's disciples Gong Chong submitted the Taiping Qingling Shu to the emperor.
Some believe that the character Yu Ji (于吉) mentioned in Luo Guanzhong
's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
is a misspelling of Gan Ji. In the novel, he wandered around the Jiangdong region, chatting with soldiers and civilians, making everyone believe that he was a magician and healer. The lord of Jiangdong, Sun Ce
, heard of Yu Ji's magic and grew suspicious of him, thinking that he was casting spells on people. Sun accused Yu Ji of heresy and had him executed. However, Yu Ji's spirit returned to haunt Sun and eventually caused him to die from shock. Some people doubt that Yu Ji was not the same person as Gan Ji, based on Gan Ji's activities in the early 2nd century.
Many historians reject the account of Gan Ji and Sun Ce, suggesting that it is propaganda
or just fiction. Reasons for this include Gan Ji's previously recorded activities (which would have made Gan Ji quite old by the time he even met Sun Ce). Only a select few historical texts mention Gan Ji being killed by Sun Ce. Of those that do, Gan Ji is not necessarily portrayed as an innocent victim; rather, in Jiangbiao Zhuan, Sun Ce believes that Gan Ji is misleading the people (Sun Ce was a strict Confucianist
).
In Dynasty Warriors 5
a stage is based on Sun Ce's confrontation with Yu Ji, a fictional event. In the stage Sun Ce has to fight Yu Ji clones, as well as a Da Qiao
and Sun Jian
clone. Along with another stage in Dynasty Warriors 7
The Shaw Brothers's film The Weird Man is based on him. He was put to death by Sun Ce and he later comes back as a ghost and wreaks havoc on Sun Ce for revenge by possessing his army and his wife. He also helped Sun Ce kill Xu Gong
while killing Sun Ce in the process. In this film he is seen as the hero and Sun Ce the anti-hero. This was also shown again in the movie called Ninja in Ancient China.
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
priest who lived during the late Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
period of Chinese history
History of China
Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the Cradle of Chinese Civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the world's oldest...
.
According to the Book of Later Han
Book of Later Han
The Book of the Later Han or the History of the Later Han is one of the official Chinese historical works which was compiled by Fan Ye in the 5th century, using a number of earlier histories and documents as sources...
, during the reign of the Emperor Shun of Han
Emperor Shun of Han
Emperor Shun of Han, trad. ch. 漢順帝;, sim. ch. 漢顺帝, py. hàn shùn dì, wg. Han Shun-ti, was an emperor of the Chinese Han Dynasty and the seventh emperor of the Eastern Han period...
(125 – 144), Gan Ji's disciples Gong Chong submitted the Taiping Qingling Shu to the emperor.
Some believe that the character Yu Ji (于吉) mentioned in Luo Guanzhong
Luo Guanzhong
Luo Ben , better known by his style name Luo Guanzhong , was a Chinese writer of the early Ming Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also known as Huhai Sanren...
's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in...
is a misspelling of Gan Ji. In the novel, he wandered around the Jiangdong region, chatting with soldiers and civilians, making everyone believe that he was a magician and healer. The lord of Jiangdong, Sun Ce
Sun Ce
Sun Ce was a military general and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was the oldest of the children of Sun Jian who was killed during the Battle of Xiangyang when Sun Ce was only 16. Sun Ce then broke away from his father's overlord, Yuan Shu, and headed to...
, heard of Yu Ji's magic and grew suspicious of him, thinking that he was casting spells on people. Sun accused Yu Ji of heresy and had him executed. However, Yu Ji's spirit returned to haunt Sun and eventually caused him to die from shock. Some people doubt that Yu Ji was not the same person as Gan Ji, based on Gan Ji's activities in the early 2nd century.
Many historians reject the account of Gan Ji and Sun Ce, suggesting that it is propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
or just fiction. Reasons for this include Gan Ji's previously recorded activities (which would have made Gan Ji quite old by the time he even met Sun Ce). Only a select few historical texts mention Gan Ji being killed by Sun Ce. Of those that do, Gan Ji is not necessarily portrayed as an innocent victim; rather, in Jiangbiao Zhuan, Sun Ce believes that Gan Ji is misleading the people (Sun Ce was a strict Confucianist
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
).
In Dynasty Warriors 5
Dynasty Warriors 5
is a Hack and slash video game set in China and the fifth installment in the Dynasty Warriors series, developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game was released on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is based on the Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong.-Gameplay:The...
a stage is based on Sun Ce's confrontation with Yu Ji, a fictional event. In the stage Sun Ce has to fight Yu Ji clones, as well as a Da Qiao
Two Qiaos
The Two Qiaos refer to two sisters who lived during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. Their names were not recorded, so in later times they are referred to simply as Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao . They were from Wan County, Lujiang Commandery...
and Sun Jian
Sun Jian
Sun Jian was a military general and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He allied himself with Yuan Shu in 190 when warlords from eastern China formed a coalition to oust Dong Zhuo, a tyrannical warlord who held the puppet Emperor Xian in his power...
clone. Along with another stage in Dynasty Warriors 7
Dynasty Warriors 7
is a hack and slash video game and the seventh official installment of the Dynasty Warriors series. It is developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game has been confirmed to be PS3 exclusive in Japan. The story is based on Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms....
The Shaw Brothers's film The Weird Man is based on him. He was put to death by Sun Ce and he later comes back as a ghost and wreaks havoc on Sun Ce for revenge by possessing his army and his wife. He also helped Sun Ce kill Xu Gong
Xu Gong
Xu Gong was the governor of Wu Commandery during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history.Xu Gong had opposed Sun Ce as an ally of Wang Lang, Yan Baihu, and Liu Yao. He eventually was forced to surrender to Sun's forces, but he was a disloyal officer, even attempting to write a secret memo...
while killing Sun Ce in the process. In this film he is seen as the hero and Sun Ce the anti-hero. This was also shown again in the movie called Ninja in Ancient China.