Hagiography of Divine Manifestations of Lord Lü 纯阳帝君神化妙通记

Compiled by Miao Shanshi, a Taoist priest of the Quanzhen school in the Yuan Dynasty.

Seven volumes, included in the Biographical Category of the Dongzhen Section of the Daozang.

Hagiography of Divine Manifestations of Lord Lü

Emperor Chunyang refers to Lü Dongbin, the patriarch of the Quanzhen Dao, who was titled Chunyang. In the third year of the Zhida reign of Emperor Wuzong of the Yuan Dynasty (1311), he was conferred the title of "Emperor Chunyang Yan Zheng Jing Hua Fu You" by imperial edict. This book is a hagiography of Lü Dongbin. Based on relevant scriptures, anthologies and historical biographies of the Tang and Song dynasties, the author collected authentic deeds, eliminated ornate flourishes, and compiled one hundred and twenty episodes of divine transformation. Each episode narrates a story of Lü Dongbin, accompanied by eulogistic poems and essays. Volumes One and Two contain seven episodes, recording Lü Dongbin’s family background, his enlightenment and his reception of the Daoist teachings. Volumes Three to Seven include a total of one hundred and thirteen episodes (with episodes twenty-six to thirty-three missing), mainly depicting Lü Dongbin’s hidden transcendence and divine manifestations after attaining the Dao, his efforts to awaken the world and relieve suffering, his enlightenment of mortals to immortality, as well as tales of him teasing wealthy misers and evildoers. A great many people were enlightened and saved by him, including renowned Confucian and Daoist figures such as Lord Cao Guo, Immortal He Xiangu, Shao Yong, Han Qi, Shi Jianwu and Wang Chongyang.

The literary style of the entire book is similar to that of the chuanqi novels of the Tang and Song dynasties.