His dissertation, tentatively titled The Macrobiotic Cosmology of Ge Hong , was missing its spine. He had the commentaries, the historical context, and the later Neo-Confucian critiques. But he lacked the primary text in a format he could manipulate. He needed the text. Specifically, he needed the legendary translation by James R. Ware—completed in the 1960s—a scholarly artifact that was notoriously difficult to find outside of university special collections.
He scrolled past the introduction. He needed the chapters on the Dan (Elixir). baopuzi english translation pdf
Alchemy, Medicine and Religion in the China of A.D. 320: The Nei P'ien of Ko Hung. This is the most widely cited English translation of the Inner Chapters. Ware’s work is essential for those studying early Chinese science and "External Alchemy" (Waidan). He needed the text
