The Li Defang 李德方

Li Defang was a native of Lingchuan (now part of Shanxi Province) during the Jin and Yuan dynasties.

His courtesy name was Chujing, and his literary name was Damiao. He became a Taoist monk at the age of twenty.

In the 3rd year of the Mingchang era (1192), he paid respects to Guo Taining of the Shenxiao Palace in his home prefecture and took him as his teacher.

In the 6th year of the Taihe era (1206), he received an official document from the Ministry of Rites (in charge of religious affairs in ancient China), after which he formally donned Taoist robes, ascended the altar, and was ordained as a Great Dharma Master. In the 1st year of the Zhenyou era (1213), he was granted a purple robe (a symbol of high status for Taoist priests in ancient China) and bestowed the title "Damiao". He also served as the "Weiyi" (an official in charge of Taoist rituals and discipline) within the jurisdiction of Ze Prefecture.

At that time, the region was plagued by chaos and warfare, so Li Defang concealed his identity and kept a low profile, rarely appearing in public.

In the 2nd year of the Zhenyou era (1214), Li Defang donated grain to the government. In recognition of this, the imperial court issued an edict, ordering the conversion of the Erxian Temple in Gaoping County into Wuzhen Guan (Wuzhen Taoist Temple).

In the 9th year of the Taizong era of the Yuan Dynasty (1237), the imperial court sent envoys to conduct examinations for Buddhist monks and Taoist priests across all regions of the country. Li Defang ranked first in the examination district covering Ze Prefecture and Lu Prefecture. He then traveled to Yanjing (the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, now modern-day Beijing) to receive religious precepts before returning to his hometown.