The Origin of Chinese Taoism - Belief in Immortals and Alchemy and Occult Arts
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The belief in immortals can also be traced back to the period of ancient primitive society in China. One of the pieces of evidence is the "Classic of Mountains and Seas". This classic records the myths and religious beliefs of China's primitive society, and its content is quite rich and systematic. It provides a basis for the distant origin of Taoist immortal studies. In the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", the belief in immortality was put forward; the existence of immortals and Taoist adepts was proposed; the celestial abodes of immortals were described; and the sacrificial rituals and strange occult arts were recorded.
In the era of ancient primitive society, some people had already begun to study immortality. Historical records show that the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan was "learning the way of immortals while fighting" and that "the Yellow Emperor asked the Way from Guangchengzi". Later, he succeeded in cultivating the Tao and ascended to heaven on a dragon in broad daylight at Lake Ding.
By the Warring States period, the belief in immortals had become quite widespread. At that time, many works recording the legends of immortals emerged, and these books contained a lot of texts about the legends of immortals, fairylands, and immortal elixirs. For example, in "Free and Easy Wandering" in "Zhuangzi", there is such a description: "On the Mountain of the Goddess of the Lofty and Far-off, there live divine beings. Their skin is like ice and snow, and they are as graceful as virgins. They do not eat the five grains but absorb the wind and drink the dew. They ride on the clouds and mists, drive the flying dragons, and wander beyond the four seas." Others, such as the "Questions of Tang", "The Yellow Emperor", and "King Mu of Zhou" in "Liezi", as well as Qu Yuan's "Li Sao", "Heavenly Questions", and "Nine Songs" all depicted fairylands as wonderful and mysterious. The immortals were also portrayed as miraculous figures who could transcend life and death, were extremely serene and quiet, were not burdened by worldly things, and were free and able to ride the clouds and fly. Similar descriptions can also be found in "Huainanzi" and "Records of the Grand Historian" in the Han Dynasty.
With the emergence of the theory of immortals, alchemists who sought fairylands and immortals and spread the methods of becoming immortals appeared. They combined the theory of immortals and occult arts with Zou Yan's (a famous alchemist in the Warring States period) theory of yin-yang and the five elements to form the Fangxian Taoism, which was mainly popular among the upper classes in the states of Yan and Qi. Its practices included transforming the body and relying on ghosts and spirits, with the hope of achieving immortality. From the middle and late Warring States period (275 - 221 BC) to the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (Liu Che, 140 - 87 BC), under the instigation of alchemists (also known as the immortals' advocates) and emperors, generals, and ministers, the famous event of seeking the elixir of immortality by sailing out to sea in Chinese history took place. Kings Wei and Xuan of Qi, King Zhao of Yan, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty all sent alchemists to the three sacred mountains on the sea to seek immortals and the elixir of immortality, and the scale grew larger and larger. The most famous alchemists at that time included Song Wuji, Zheng Boqiao, Zou Yan, Xu Fu, Lu Sheng, and Li Shaojun.
The unique belief in immortals in China was passed down and inherited by Taoism in the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty, becoming the core content of Taoist beliefs.
After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Fangxian Taoism gradually combined with Huang-Lao studies and evolved into Huang-Lao Taoism.
In the era of ancient primitive society, some people had already begun to study immortality. Historical records show that the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan was "learning the way of immortals while fighting" and that "the Yellow Emperor asked the Way from Guangchengzi". Later, he succeeded in cultivating the Tao and ascended to heaven on a dragon in broad daylight at Lake Ding.
By the Warring States period, the belief in immortals had become quite widespread. At that time, many works recording the legends of immortals emerged, and these books contained a lot of texts about the legends of immortals, fairylands, and immortal elixirs. For example, in "Free and Easy Wandering" in "Zhuangzi", there is such a description: "On the Mountain of the Goddess of the Lofty and Far-off, there live divine beings. Their skin is like ice and snow, and they are as graceful as virgins. They do not eat the five grains but absorb the wind and drink the dew. They ride on the clouds and mists, drive the flying dragons, and wander beyond the four seas." Others, such as the "Questions of Tang", "The Yellow Emperor", and "King Mu of Zhou" in "Liezi", as well as Qu Yuan's "Li Sao", "Heavenly Questions", and "Nine Songs" all depicted fairylands as wonderful and mysterious. The immortals were also portrayed as miraculous figures who could transcend life and death, were extremely serene and quiet, were not burdened by worldly things, and were free and able to ride the clouds and fly. Similar descriptions can also be found in "Huainanzi" and "Records of the Grand Historian" in the Han Dynasty.
With the emergence of the theory of immortals, alchemists who sought fairylands and immortals and spread the methods of becoming immortals appeared. They combined the theory of immortals and occult arts with Zou Yan's (a famous alchemist in the Warring States period) theory of yin-yang and the five elements to form the Fangxian Taoism, which was mainly popular among the upper classes in the states of Yan and Qi. Its practices included transforming the body and relying on ghosts and spirits, with the hope of achieving immortality. From the middle and late Warring States period (275 - 221 BC) to the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (Liu Che, 140 - 87 BC), under the instigation of alchemists (also known as the immortals' advocates) and emperors, generals, and ministers, the famous event of seeking the elixir of immortality by sailing out to sea in Chinese history took place. Kings Wei and Xuan of Qi, King Zhao of Yan, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty all sent alchemists to the three sacred mountains on the sea to seek immortals and the elixir of immortality, and the scale grew larger and larger. The most famous alchemists at that time included Song Wuji, Zheng Boqiao, Zou Yan, Xu Fu, Lu Sheng, and Li Shaojun.
The unique belief in immortals in China was passed down and inherited by Taoism in the middle and late Eastern Han Dynasty, becoming the core content of Taoist beliefs.
After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Fangxian Taoism gradually combined with Huang-Lao studies and evolved into Huang-Lao Taoism.
