The Li Zhiyun 李志云

Li Zhiyun (1174–1248) was a native of Yaocun Village in Meiliangchuan (south of present-day Wenxi County, Shanxi Province) during the Jin and Yuan dynasties.

From a young age, he moved with his father to Fuchang County in Songzhou (now part of Henan Province). His Taoist title was "Xuantongzi" (Master of Mysterious Penetration), and the locals affectionately called him "Li the Round-faced Taoist" (Yuan Li Daoshi).

In his youth, Li Zhiyun enjoyed traveling among hermits and religious practitioners (those outside secular life). When he grew up, he studied under Immortal Ma Danyang (a prominent Quanzhen Taoist master) and became a disciple of the Quanzhen School. After formally becoming a Taoist monk, he was taught the essential secrets of Taoism; he practiced diligently without interruption and suddenly attained enlightenment to the "Dao of Void and Emptiness" (a core concept in Taoist philosophy referring to the fundamental, formless essence of the universe).

In the first year of the Tianxing era (1232) of the Jin Dynasty, to avoid the chaos of war, Li Zhiyun took up residence in Jiangzhou. He built a simple earthen-walled hut there to live in seclusion and focus on Taoist cultivation, maintaining this routine for several years without change.

In the 11th year of the Taizong era of the Yuan Dynasty (1239), villagers from Hedi Village donated an existing Sanqing Hall (a hall dedicated to the Three Pure Ones, the highest deities in Taoism) and 20 mu of farmland to Li Zhiyun, enabling him to build a Taoist hermitage and serve as its abbot. He then led over 50 of his disciples, including Liu Zhishan and Jia Zhichun, to support the development of the hermitage—they raised funds and added more halls and rooms to the complex.

Immortal Song Piyun bestowed the name "Donghua Guan" (Donghua Taoist Temple) on the hermitage, and Li Zhiyun served as its abbot.

Li Zhiyun passed away in the 3rd year of the Dingzong era of the Yuan Dynasty (1248) at the age of 75.