What is Dragon-Tiger School 龙虎宗?

The Dragon-Tiger School is a talismanic school founded by the descendants of Zhang Ling, with Longhu Mountain as its dissemination center. After the reforms by Kou Qianzhi, Lu Xiujing, and others during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Tianshi Dao (Celestial Master Dao) evolved from a folk religion into an official religion. Later, the descendants of Zhang Daoling preached in Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi Province, and Tianshi Dao continued to spread under the name of the Longhu Sect.

During the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, the descendants of Zhang Daoling were active in society and recognized by the Taoist community. By the late Tang Dynasty, there was already a clear reference to the "Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain". In the Northern Song Dynasty, the Longhu Sect began to gain prominence. In the Yuan Dynasty, the government officially recognized the title of "Celestial Master" for Zhang Ling's descendants and granted them the authority to oversee Taoism in southern China.

The Longhu Sect was renowned for its ritual ceremonies (zhaijiao). During the Song and Yuan dynasties, many generations of Celestial Masters were often ordered to perform rituals for the imperial family, or jointly preside over ceremonies with leaders of other Taoist sects to pray for blessings and ward off disasters for the royal family. Most of the books on ritual procedures produced during this period were also written by monks of the Longhu Sect.

In the mid-to-late Yuan Dynasty, the Longhu Sect merged with other talismanic schools to form the Zhengyi Sect. However, after the mid-Ming Dynasty, it declined and lost its vitality.