Illustrated Biography of Prince Jin 上清侍帝晨桐柏真人真图赞

Composed by Sima Chengzhen, a Taoist priest of the The Tang Dynasty.

It consists of one volume and is included in the Eulogy Category of The Dongxuan Section within The Daozang.

Illustrated Biography of Prince Jin

There is a preface by the author at the beginning, recounting the immortal attainment deeds of Immortal Tongbai. Immortal Tongbai refers to Crown Prince Jin of King Ling of Zhou, whose story first appeared in The Lost Book of Zhou. Since the Western Han Dynasty, there have been numerous legends about his seclusion and ascension to immortality. Taoist scriptures of the Shangqing School from the Southern Dynasties record that after Crown Prince Jin ascended to immortality, he went to the Golden Palace to pay homage to the Mysterious August Great Dao Lord of the Jade Dawn, and was conferred the title of "Attendant of the Imperial Dawn", governing the Jinting Grotto of Tongbai Mountain on Tiantai Mountain.

The author of this book, a master of the Shangqing School in the Tang Dynasty, once resided at the Tongbai Guan on Tiantai Mountain to cultivate the Dao. He compiled this work by collecting records about Crown Prince Jin's life and deeds after his ascension to immortality from books such as The Lost Book of Zhou, Biographies of Immortals and Zhengao. The deeds recorded in the book include eleven events: admonishing King Ling against damming the Yong River, conversing with Shi Kuang, playing the sheng by the Yi and Luo Rivers, secluding himself with Lord Fuqiu, manifesting his trace on Mount Goushi, ascending to heaven riding a crane, going to the imperial palace to visit the Dao Lord, being enfeoffed as Attendant of the Imperial Dawn and proceeding to the Tongbai Palace, among others. Each event is accompanied by a portrait and an eulogistic poem, hence the book's name "Eulogies on the True Portraits".