The Qionglongshan School 穹窿山派

Qionglong Mountain (稹笼山) near Suzhou — the sacred headquarters of the Qionglongshan School, where Shi Daoyuan renovated the former palace of Lord Mao and established the school’s institutional center.

Definition and Institutional Context

The Qionglongshan School (稹笼山派) is a branch of the Zhengyi Shenxiao (正一神霄) tradition that emerged in the early Qing dynasty, centered on Qionglong Mountain and the Xuanmiao Temple (玄妙观) in Suzhou. The Xuanmiao Temple — one of the most important Taoist institutions in the Jiangnan region, with a history traceable to the Western Jin dynasty — served as the school’s primary institutional base throughout its documented history.

The Jingai Xindeng · Daopu Yuanliu Tu (《靖蓋心灯·道谱源流图》) records: “Shi Liangsheng, styled Tiezhu Daoren (鐵竹道人, Iron Bamboo Daoist), once received the Preliminary Precepts and the Intermediate Precepts from Wang Kunyang (Wang Changyue 王常月). Later, he excelled in magic arts and converted to the Zhengyi Zhenren Mansion, establishing a school named the Gusu Qionglongshan School.”

Shi Daoyuan: Founder

Shi Daoyuan (施道渊), styled Liangsheng (良生), also known as Tiezhu Daoren (鐵竹道人), was born in Hengtang Township, Wuxian County. He became a Taoist at Chaozhen Temple (朝真观) in his childhood. The Xuanmiao Guanzhi (《玄妙观志》), Volume 4, compiled by Gu Yuan (顾瑞) in the Qing dynasty, records his biography:

“遇异人张心孚，授以炼丹之秘。年十九，受五雷法于龙虎山徐延簞，能驱役诸神。常为人驱鬼治病，不取财利。”
(He met a strange man named Zhang Xinfu, who taught him the secrets of alchemy. At the age of 19, he received the Five Thunder Method from Xu Yanzhen of Longhu Mountain, enabling him to command various gods. He often helped people exorcise evil spirits and cure diseases without seeking profit.)

Shi Daoyuan initially built a hut on Yaofeng Peak (蕉峰), practicing cultivation day and night. He later moved to Qionglong Mountain, where he renovated the former palace of Lord Mao (茅君故宫) to its former glory. In 1658 (the Wuxu year of the Shunzhi period), the 53rd Celestial Master Zhang Hongren (张洪任) petitioned the Qing court, which granted his residence the title “Shangzhen Guan” (上真观, Upper True Temple) and awarded Shi Daoyuan the title “Master of Cultivating the Origin, Embracing Unity, Propagating Teachings, and Transforming” (修元抱一宣化大师).

When the halls of Xuanmiao Temple in Suzhou fell into ruin, Grand Tutor Jin Zhijun (金之俊) invited Shi Daoyuan to manage the temple affairs. He restored the halls of Sanqing (三清, Three Pure Ones) and Leizun (雷尊, Thunder Lord), built over 170 scenic spots and temples, and commissioned more than 8,720 statues. In 1676 (the Bingchen year of the Kangxi period), Prince Yu (裕亲王) summoned him to preside over rituals in the capital. He returned south and passed away in the mountain temple in 1678.

The Xuanmiao Temple (玄妙观) in Suzhou — the primary institutional base of the Qionglongshan School, restored by Shi Daoyuan and maintained by his successors through the Qing dynasty.

Lineage Transmission

A notable feature of the lineage is that Hui Yuanmo and Zhang Zili also received the transmission of Lou Jinyuan’s (娄近垣) Zhengyi School simultaneously — indicating that the Qionglongshan School maintained connections with multiple Zhengyi lineages operating in the Jiangnan region during the Qing dynasty.

The Qing dynasty Taoist temple — the Qionglongshan School’s masters were repeatedly summoned to the imperial court, their rain-prayer rituals and exorcistic techniques earning them recognition from the Kangxi and Yongzheng emperors.

Zhengyi Perspective

In the Zhengyi tradition, the Qionglongshan School represents a characteristic example of how the Zhengyi Shenxiao lineage operated in the Jiangnan region during the Qing dynasty — rooted in a specific sacred mountain and temple complex, maintaining close ties with the Celestial Master’s administration at Longhu Mountain, and serving the local community through exorcism, rain-prayer, and major ritual ceremonies.

Shi Daoyuan’s unusual dual transmission — receiving the Five Thunder Method from Longhu Mountain while also receiving precepts from Wang Changyue of the Quanzhen Longmen School — reflects the pragmatic eclecticism that characterized Qing dynasty Taoist practice. The two great traditions of Chinese Taoism — Zhengyi and Quanzhen — were not always in competition; in the Jiangnan region, their practitioners often studied across lineage boundaries, enriching their ritual repertoire while maintaining their primary institutional affiliation. Shi Daoyuan’s eventual return to the Zhengyi Zhenren Mansion and his recognition by the 53rd Celestial Master confirm that the Qionglongshan School’s primary identity was Zhengyi, even as it drew on the broader Taoist inheritance.

Related Concepts

• Shenxiao School (神霄派): the parent tradition of the Qionglongshan School → Shenxiao School
• Qing Dynasty (清朝): the historical period of the school’s founding and development → Qing Dynasty

Source Texts

• Gu Yuan (顾瑞) (comp.). Xuanmiao Guanzhi (《玄妙观志》), Vol. 4. Qing dynasty.
• Anonymous. Jingai Xindeng · Daopu Yuanliu Tu (《靖蓋心灯·道谱源流图》). Qing dynasty.
• Chen Yaoting (陈耀庭). Entry on “Qionglongshan Pai.” In Zhonghua Daojiao Dacidian (《中华道教大辞典》).