Hu was born in Xiuning County , Anhui Province in 1584 or early 1585 . Both his father and elder brother Zhengxin ( 正心 , art name Wusuo , 無所 ) were physicians , and after he turned 30 he travelled with them while they practised medicine in the areas around Lu 'an and Huoshan . It is commonly stated that Zhengyan himself was also a doctor , though the earliest sources attesting to this occur only in the second half of the 19th century .