The Su Chengyin 苏澄隐

Su Chengyin was a native of Zhending (present-day Zhengding County, Hebei Province) during the Five Dynasties and the early Song Dynasty. He was also known as Su Cheng, with his courtesy name Qizhen. He was a Taoist priest at Longxing Temple and skilled in the art of health preservation. Emperor Mingzong of the Later Tang Dynasty issued an imperial edict to summon him; during the Qingtai and Tianfu reign periods, he was summoned repeatedly, but he declined all invitations on the pretext of illness.

In the middle years of the Kaiyun era (941–946), when the ruler of the Khitan intended to ascend the throne, he sought to confer official honors on renowned monks and Taoists. Only Su Chengyin refused to accept.

In the second year of the Kaibao era (969), after Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty returned from his campaign against Taiyuan, he stopped at Zhenzhou and summoned Su Chengyin. Su Chengyin still had no intention of leaving his seclusion. Later, the emperor visited his temple and asked about the art of health preservation. Su replied, "As Laozi says: 'When I practice non-action, the people naturally transform themselves; when I have no desires, the people naturally become upright.' With non-action and no desires, one concentrates the spirit in the state of great harmony. In ancient times, Emperor Huang (the Yellow Emperor) and Emperor Yao ruled for long years because they attained this Dao." The emperor was greatly pleased and bestowed generous rewards on him. Su Chengyin lived to nearly a hundred years old before passing away.

(From The History of the Song Dynasty·Biography of Su Chengyin and Continuation to Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 8)