The Lou Jinyuan 娄近垣
Paul PengShare
Lou Jinyuan (1689–1776) was a native of Lou County in Songjiang Prefecture (now part of Shanghai) during the early Qing Dynasty. His courtesy name was Sanchen, and his literary names were Langzhai and Shangqing Waishi.
Three generations of his family were Taoist priests. He became a Taoist monk at Longhu Mountain from an early age and studied under Zhou Dajing, the Tidian (a managerial official of Taoist temples) of Shangqing Palace.
In the 5th year of the Yongzheng reign (1727), he accompanied Zhang Xilin, the 55th Heavenly Master of Taoism, to the imperial capital (Beijing).
In the 8th year of the Yongzheng reign (1730), he cured Emperor Yongzheng’s illness using Taoist ritual registers (falü) and talismanic water (fushui). For this, he was appointed Abbot of the Qin’an Hall at Longhu Mountain, holding a fourth-rank official position.
In the 11th year of the Yongzheng reign (1733), the emperor issued an imperial edict to renovate the Great Brightness Hall (Daguangming Dian) and granted Lou Jinyuan residence there. He was also conferred the title of "True Person Miaozheng" (a high honorific title for virtuous Taoist masters).
When Emperor Qianlong ascended the throne, Lou Jinyuan was appointed Tongyi Dafu (a mid-ranking honorary official title in the Qing Dynasty) with a third-rank position. He was entrusted with the seal of the Taoist Registration Department (Daolu Si, the central administrative body for Taoism in the Qing Dynasty) and served as Abbot of the Dongyue Temple in Beijing.
His works include Annotations on the Zhuangzi (titled Nanhua Jing Zhu in Chinese, as the Zhuangzi is also known as Nanhua Jing), Imperially Selected Quotations of True Person Miaozheng, and Revised Annals of Longhu Mountain.
He also edited, revised, and standardized Taoist rituals and ceremonies, such as The Mysterious Rite of 先天奏告 (Xiantian Zougao Xuan Ke, a ritual for presenting petitions to celestial beings) and The Ritual of the Yellow Registers (Huanglu Keyi, an important Taoist ritual for salvation).
(From The Draft History of the Qing Dynasty, Volume 115)
About the Author
Paul Peng
Paul Peng is a Zhengyi Taoist priest from Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi — the ancestral home of the Celestial Masters' tradition. Ordained at 25 after a dream from the Celestial Master, he has practiced for 25 years under Master Zeng Guangliang. He is one of the curators of this store, which is officially authorized by Tianshi Fu. All items are consecrated at the temple by the resident priest team.
Read his full story →
