The Guangcheng Collection 广成集

Compiled by Du Guangting, a Taoist priest in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties period. The collection was so named because Du Guangting styled himself Mr. Guangcheng.

According to the Bibliography of the History of Song, the original version of the book had one hundred scrolls. The surviving version preserved in The Daozang (Taoist Canon) only contains seventeen scrolls, which is included in the Memorial Category of the Dongxuan Section.

Scrolls 1 to 3 contain fifty-six memorials submitted to emperors, covering topics such as auspicious omens, imperial grants, construction projects, Taoist fasts, succession to the throne, and condolences for funerals. Scrolls 4 and 5 include thirty-one texts for Taoist fasts, such as texts for the Golden Register Fast, the Yellow Register Fast, the Bright Truth Fast, the Gratitude Repayment Fast, the Three Yuans Fast, and the Scripture Consecration Fast.

Scrolls 6 to 17 record one hundred and eighty-six texts for Taoist sacrificial rituals, including those dedicated to the Northern Emperor, the Southern Dipper, the Nine Luminaries, the Celestial Sphere, one’s natal deity, house pacification, the Three Sovereigns, the Eight Festivals, Taiyi, and vow fulfillment. The memorials and ritual texts in the collection contain abundant records of events in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties period, which can serve as valuable reference materials for historical research.

In terms of literary merit, its prose and verse are elegant and readable, making it a top-tier work among the literary collections of Taoist priests.