Étienne Balazs, a historian and a central figure of European sinology, once described Chinese historiography as the “most massive monument erected to celebrate one social class, (…) written by scholar-officials and for scholar-officials. This implied that all the other social groups were condemned to silence or to a role of only secondary importance”. This article presents some reflections about the presence in Han historiography of strange persons: they ought to be, or they may have been officials, but they decided to retire, far away from the center of power. At a time when Han Empire was said to approach the id eal state of Great Peace, this kind of political eremitism raised some specific problems which were discussed in a good many of texts, especially in Shiji, Fayan and Hanshu. In these texts, political hermit is a very literary figure. The natural destiny of a hermit may be to go forgotten as he leaves political scene, but historian gives him his literary existence and his place in human memory as he discovers him and sheds light on him. In Han historiography, political hermit may represent the example of a civilizing influence which does not necessarily go through the exercise of administrative or political power, and the example of a potential mobility.