The Fan Zhiying 樊志应

Fan Zhiying (1220-1295) was a native of Fenxi County in Pingyang Prefecture (now part of Shanxi Province) during the Jin and Yuan dynasties.

His courtesy name was Shunfu, his literary name was Chongxuanzi, and he held the Taoist title "Great Master Yuanjing Tongxu" (Master of Profound Tranquility and Penetrating Emptiness).

According to Wang Yun’s Account of Zhenchang Taoist Temple, Zhiying was born into an official family in Fenxi. From his early childhood (when he was just beginning his education), he studied under Li Zhenchang (a prominent Taoist master). After Li Zhenchang inherited the leadership of the Taoist school, he appointed Zhiying to oversee financial receipts, disbursements, and accounting affairs. The imperial palace awarded Zhiying a golden crown and brocade robes, and ordered him to present imperial incense at the Shizhen Ji Hall in Yandu (the capital city, present-day Beijing).

In the fifth year of the Yuan Dingzong’s reign (1250), Zhiying was granted a precious crown and a cloud-patterned Taoist robe. The Taoist temple under his charge was upgraded to a "palace" (a higher-ranking Taoist institution), and he was appointed to supervise Taoist affairs in the Zhangde Circuit. During the reign of the Yuan Xianzong, Zhiying participated in a debate with Buddhist monks over the Huahu Jing (Scripture of Transforming the Barbarians, a Taoist text contested by Buddhists); after losing the debate, he was forced to shave his head and become a Buddhist monk. Later, when the Taoist master Zhang Chengming inherited the school leadership, he valued Zhiying for his advanced age and profound knowledge, and showed him special favor.

In the tenth year of the Yuan Zhiyuan’s reign (1285), a former residence of Marquis Zhang was purchased as a retirement retreat for Zhiying, which was named "Zhenchang Taoist Temple". All those who visited him there were renowned scholars and figures of his time, including Li Zhi, Zhao Zhuo, Wang E, Yao Shu, Wang Pan, Dou Mo, and Wang Shan. These men admired Zhiying’s demeanor, talent, and insight, and formed friendships with him as "beyond-worldly companions" (a term for friendships transcending secular interests, often between scholars and religious practitioners).

Fan Zhiying passed away due to illness in the first month of the first year of the Yuan Zhenyuan’s reign (1295), at the age of 76. Posthumously, he was awarded the additional Taoist title "Chongxuan" (Profound Mystery), and his well-known disciples included Qi Daoheng and Liu Dao’an.