The Mr. Tongshen 通神先生

Mr. Tongshen (?-1197), whose surname was He and given name is unknown, was a native of Qushan in Huaiyang Jun (now part of Henan Province) during the Southern Song Dynasty.

According to the record in Stele of Facts about the Real Person He, the "Coir Raincoat" Taoist, Known as Mr. Tongshen by Hu Mao: His family had been prominent for generations through official careers. In the early years of the Shaoxing era (1131), due to the chaos of wars, his family moved to Pingjiang (now Wuxian County, Jiangsu Province).

From a young age, Mr. He was fond of reading Confucian classics, but he failed the imperial examinations repeatedly. Later, when he visited Miaoyan Monastery and stood by the pond (whose water was as clear as a mirror), he suddenly achieved enlightenment.

Since then, he wore only a coir raincoat, a bamboo hat, let his hair down, and went barefoot, wandering around rivers and lakes. People in the world called him "Daoren Suoyi" (the "Coir Raincoat Taoist"; alternatively recorded as "Daoren Shayi", the "Sedge Coat Taoist"). Mr. He practiced Taoist arts and was highly effective in divination to predict good or bad fortune. He could stay awake for several days at a time.

He was skilled in medicine, cured and saved countless people, yet never accepted a single coin in return. Through his practice of internal alchemy, he could release his "yang spirit" (a concept in Taoism referring to the ethereal, spiritual aspect of the self) to travel freely and gain insight into all things. Everyone held him in high respect. In the early years of the Chunxi era (1174), he built a hermitage for the first time. The matter was reported to the imperial court, and Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote the three characters "Tongshen An" (Tongshen Hermitage) to commend him, and also bestowed upon him the title "Mr. Tongshen". During the Shaoxing era, the emperor further composed a eulogy in honor of his "Tongshen" title.

In the early years of the Qingyuan era (1195), an imperial edict granted him the title "Tongshen Zhenren" (Real Person of Divine Penetration).

He passed away due to illness in the 3rd year of the Qingyuan era (1197; alternatively recorded as the 6th year). Accounts of his life can also be found in Biographies of Occult Practitioners in History of the Song Dynasty and Postscripts to Epigraphs in Qianyan Hall.