The Jin Qinglai 金清来

Jin Qinglai (1626–1711) was a native of Wucheng (now Wuxing County, Zhejiang Province) during the transition from the late Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty.

His original name was Risheng; his courtesy name was Dongyang, and he styled himself Jingling. His family had lived in Huangye Village in the Jiangnan region (the area south of the Yangtze River) for generations.

In his youth, he passed the examination to become a yixiang sheng (a student of the county-level Confucian school, eligible to participate in higher imperial examinations). He was intelligent yet uninhibited—skilled at the game of Go and fond of drinking. In the 15th year of the Chongzhen reign (1642), he took the examination for Xiaolian (a title for virtuous and talented scholars in ancient China, a pathway to officialdom) but failed. After that, he traveled around the Wenzhou and Taizhou regions, associating with former officials and scholars who remained loyal to the fallen Ming Dynasty. He expressed his noble aspirations and integrity through passionate poems and songs, and gradually developed the ambition to renounce secular life.

In the 11th year of the Kangxi reign (1672), he visited Jinge Mountain (Golden Canopy Mountain) and stayed there for several months before leaving.

In the 31st year of the Kangxi reign (Note: There is a chronological error in the original text; if he returned to Hangzhou from the capital in "the 10th year of Kangxi (1692)", this conflicts with the Kangxi reign timeline (1662–1722), as the 10th year of Kangxi was 1671, not 1692. The correct year is likely the 31st year of Kangxi, i.e., 1692), he returned to Hangzhou from the capital (Beijing), entered Helin Dao Courtyard in Jingu Cave, and thus became a Taoist priest. He studied under Precept-Master Zhou Tailang. In the 40th year of the Kangxi reign (1701), he successively received the "Three Precepts" (a set of core Taoist ethical and religious precepts).

In September of the 50th year of the Kangxi reign (1711), he passed away suddenly at Helin Dao Courtyard at the age of 86.

Jin Qinglai was the 10th-generation Precept-Master of the Longmen Sect (Dragon Gate Sect) of Taoism. Detailed accounts of his life and deeds can be found in Jingai Xindeng (The Lamp in the Golden Hut).