The Old Huashan School 老华山派

The Old Huashan School is a Taoist sect that traces its origin to Chen Tuan, a Taoist priest of the Northern Song Dynasty.

According to "The History of the Song Dynasty·Biography of Chen Tuan", Chen Tuan, styled Tunan, called himself Fuyaozi. He was from Zhenyuan in Bozhou (or some say Anyue in Sichuan). In his youth, he studied Confucianism. During the Changxing period of the Later Tang Dynasty (930-933), he failed the imperial examination and thus retired to Jiushi Rock in Wudang Mountain. Later, he moved to Yuntai View on Huashan Mountain and the stone chamber on Shaohua Mountain to practice Taoism. He was friends with recluses such as Li Qi and Lü Dongbin.

In the third year of the Xiande period of the Later Zhou Dynasty (956), he was summoned to the capital, where he was asked about the techniques of ascending to immortality and transmuting metals into gold and silver. Emperor Shizong appointed him as a Censor-in-Chief, but he firmly declined the position. During the Taiping Xingguo period of Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty (976-984), he was summoned to the capital again and was highly respected by Emperor Taizong, who granted him the title "Mr. Xiyi".

It is said that he died at the age of over one hundred. Chen Tuan was fond of "The Book of Changes" and once wrote works such as "Diagram of the Ultimate of Nothingness", "Diagram of the Innate", and "Dragon Diagram of the Book of Changes". His ideological views on "The Book of Changes" had a great influence on the Neo-Confucians of the Song Dynasty. He was also a practitioner and theorist of inner alchemy, and his theories on inner alchemy laid the foundation for the theories of various inner alchemy sects in the Song and Yuan dynasties.

He had disciples but did not establish a Taoist sect. "General Register of Various True Sects" records a Taoist sect that takes him as its originator, named the Old Huashan School, which was founded in later generations. It is difficult to trace exactly when it was first established.