Guo Bi, whose official career and dates of birth and death are unknown, is a figure about whom public information is limited; all that is currently known is that one work by him survives, A Diary of Sojourning in Hangzhou (Ke Hang Riji). Written in diary form, the book records his daily activities, social encounters and observations of local life and scenery during his stay in Hangzhou. It serves both as a personal record of daily life and as valuable local observation, offering first-hand material for understanding the social conditions and literati life of Hangzhou at the time. The style is plain and natural, proceeding day by day in chronological order without ornamentation, which makes it intimate and credible, bearing the unassuming air of traditional literati miscellany. Within its classification it is placed under Eastern philosophy, suggesting that its compilers valued the attitudes toward life, personal reflection and everyday ethical sensibility it conveys rather than treating it merely as travel writing or a compilation of historical sources. Given the available material, Guo Bi and his writings await further study; readers may begin with A Diary of Sojourning in Hangzhou and appreciate its plain yet engaging diary style.
