Gan Ji

Who was Gan Ji?

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, Gan Ji's disciples Gong Chong submitted the Taiping Qingling Shu to the emperor.

Some believe that the character Yu Ji 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. Only a select few historical texts mention Gan Ji being killed by Sun Ce.