The Li Zhiyuan 李志远

Li Zhiyuan (1169–1254) was a figure active during the Jin and Yuan dynasties.

His original given names were Zhongmei and Shouning, and his Taoist titles were "Wuyuzi" (Master of No Desire) and "Xuanwei Zhenren" (Immortal of Mysterious Subtlety).

As recorded in the second volume of Neizhuan of Immortal Sages from the Ancestral Court of Zhongnan Mountain: In his youth, Li Zhiyuan was intelligent, generous, and open-minded. At the age of 37, he began to study under Yang Bixu (a Taoist master), who bestowed upon him the Taoist title "Wuyuzi".

Ordinarily, Li Zhiyuan wore unkempt hair and tattered clothes, and begged for alms in the market. People at that time jokingly called him "Li the Wine-Drinking Taoist". He served as the abbot of Longxiang Guan (Longxiang Taoist Temple) for five years, and in the fourth year of the Xingding era (1220), he went to Louguan (a renowned Taoist site) in Zhongnan Mountain.

In the first year of the Zhengda era (1224), he moved again to Danxia Guan (Danxia Taoist Temple) in Jingzhao (ancient name for the area around present-day Xi’an, Shaanxi). In the seventh year of the Zhengda era (1230), he arrived in Nanyang and took up the position of abbot at Danyang Guan (Danyang Taoist Temple). In the second year of the Tianxing era (1233), he founded Lingxu Guan (Lingxu Taoist Temple), where he widely propagated Taoist doctrines. A great number of people followed and adhered to his teachings, and as a result, his reputation and status in the Taoist community grew increasingly prominent.

In the third year of the Tianxing era (1234), Yin Qinghe (honored as "Zhenren") submitted a memorial to the imperial court, requesting an edict to appoint Li Zhiyuan as the abbot of Chongyang Palace (a major Quanzhen Taoist temple) and concurrently as the Supervisor of Taoist Affairs in Shaanxi. It was at this time that Li changed his name to "Zhiyuan". In the eighth year of the Taizong era of the Yuan Dynasty (1236), an imperial edict further confirmed his position as Supervisor of Chongyang Palace. In the twelfth year of the Taizong era (1240), he was bestowed the Taoist title "Wuyu Guanmiao Zhenren" (Immortal of Observing Subtleties with No Desire).

In the first year of the Dingzong era of the Yuan Dynasty (1246), Li Zhiyuan was summoned to Yanjing (modern-day Beijing) by imperial order to preside over a grand Taoist ritual of "Putiandajiao" (a large-scale sacrificial ceremony for universal blessing). In the second year of the Dingzong era (1247), he was granted the additional title "Xuanwei Zhenren" (Immortal of Mysterious Subtlety) and awarded a purple brocade crown and robe (symbols of high honor for Taoist practitioners).

In the fourth year of the Xianzong era of the Yuan Dynasty (1254), Li Zhiyuan was again summoned to the capital by imperial order to conduct Taoist sacrificial rituals. When he arrived at the entrance of the main hall (of the imperial palace or a major temple), he suddenly passed away from illness at Changchun Palace, at the age of 86.

Detailed accounts of his life and deeds can be found in texts such as The Stele of Lingxu Guan in Zuocheng County (Volume 53 of Qiujian Ji, or Collected Works of Qiu Yuan) and The Stele of Dongyun Guan.