The Shi Zhijing 史志经

Shi Zhijing was a native of Yicheng in Jiangzhou (present-day Yicheng County, Shanxi Province) during the Jin and Yuan dynasties. His courtesy name was Tianwei, and he held the literary name "Dongxuanzi" as well as the title "Great Master Xuanzhen Xuanyi".

According to Record of Daoist Master Shi Dongxuanzi’s Daoist Deeds by Wang E: Shi Zhijing’s family had a tradition of studying Confucianism for generations. In the fifth year of the Xingding era (1221) of the Jin Dynasty, he withdrew from secular life to embrace Taoism, becoming a disciple of the Quanzhen School and studying under Liu Daoning, styled "Zhenchangzi of Hengshan".

In the second year of the Yuanguang era (1223), when Qiu Chuji (a renowned Quanzhen Taoist master) returned eastward, Shi Zhijing accompanied his teacher Liu Zhenchangzi to pay homage to Qiu. It was Qiu Chuji who bestowed upon him the courtesy name "Zhijing" (by which he is known today). Throughout the year, Shi Zhijing devoted himself to studying Taoist teachings, living a simple life in shabby clothes and on plain food.

In the thirteenth year of the Yuan Taizong era (1241), he traveled west to Mount Hua, exploring its wonders and unusual sites, and documenting what he personally saw and experienced—this eventually led to his compilation of Records of Mount Hua in fourteen volumes. In the fourth year of the Yuan Dingzong era (1249), he paid homage to Master Dongzhen and received the Taoist scriptures and ordination certificates (essential for formal recognition as a Taoist priest). In the fifth year (1250), he resided in Yanjing (the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, present-day Beijing), where he lectured on profound Taoist studies, attracting a large number of students.

In the first year of the Yuan Xianzong era (1251), he accompanied Master Dongzhen to an audience with the emperor, and was granted a purple robe (a symbol of high status in Taoism) and awarded the additional title "Great Master Xuanzhen Xuanyi". In the eighth year (1258), he traveled east to Shandong Province, visiting the former residences of the "Seven True Masters" (founding figures of the Quanzhen School) and the historical sites where the school’s patriarchs had propagated Taoist teachings. In the fourth year of the Zhongtong era (1263), he returned to Yanjing.

Ganshui Xianyuan Lu (Records of the Immortal Origins by the Sweet Water)—a key text on Quanzhen Taoism—notes that Shi Zhijing was fond of writing throughout his life. His works were mostly composed of truthful accounts, with coherent reasoning and considerable literary and philosophical merit, making them worthy of appreciation.