Hermitry means keeping away from the secular society. In ancient China, people who chose this kind of lifestyle were called hermits, or recluses.

Hermits have been existed in China a long time ago ever since there were written records. Those people kept away from the secular world and hid their traces in mountains and forests, caring nothing about comments from the society and justifying nothing for themselves. Maybe they were the origin of earliest Taoists.

The patriarch system and autocratic monarchy system, which were established in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty and continued until the late Qing Dynasty, were the social and political causes to the lifestyle of hermits. Moreover, from the respect of cultural origin, the Confucius, Buddhist and Taoist schools that have been constant support to Chinese culture, all valued much the ideal of seclusion.

Generally speaking, Chinese hermits lived a very simple material life but valued much about their spiritual life. More often than not, they raised flowers or birds besides their interests in the four arts, namely, Chinese zither, chess, calligraphy and painting. Tea drinking and taking dose were indispensable in their life. In the respect of residence, they chose mainly mountainous area or upland to build their own houses. Their acquaintances were mostly hermits too, and sometimes Taoists and monks. When they met together, they might sit still, recite poems, read books, chant scriptures, fish, drink wine or tea, play zither or chess, practice alchemy, gather herbs and tour around etc.