Ge Xuan

Ge Xuan (164–244), courtesy name Xiaoxian, was a Chinese Taoist practitioner who lived during the eastern Han dynasty (25–220) and Three Kingdoms periods (220–280). He was the ancestor of Ge Hong and a resident of Danyang Commandery in the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. Ge Xuan's paternal grandnephew, Ge Hong, gave him the title "Ge Xuan Gong", which translates as "Immortal Lord" or "Transcendent Duke". Ge Hong wrote extensively about his great-uncle, and said that some alchemical texts from his Baopuzi originally came from him. Ge Xuan was described by his descendant, Ge Chaofu, as the first recipient of the Lingbao sacred scriptures. He is remembered as a member of the Chinese Ge family and a prominent figure in the early development of Taoism.