The Su Xuan 苏铉

Su Xuan was a native of Pucheng County in Huazhou Prefecture (now part of Shaanxi Province) during the Jin Dynasty.

He styled himself "Yunzhongzi" (Master of the Clouds). According to the first volume of Zhongnanshan Zuting Xianzhen Neizhuan (Inner Biographies of Immortal Sages from the Ancestral Court of Zhongnan Mountain), in the 11th year of the Dading era (1171), he became a disciple of the Taoist master Ma Danyang and studied Taoism under him.

Ma Danyang imparted to him the profound essentials of Taoism; for a time, within the Taoist community, Su Xuan was known as "Xiao Danyang" (Little Danyang)—a title reflecting his close inheritance of Ma Danyang’s teachings and his high reputation among fellow practitioners. In the 22nd year of the Dading era (1182), he accompanied Ma Danyang on his eastward journey back to Ninghai. After Ma Danyang passed away, Su Xuan wandered and resided in the regions around Dengzhou and Laizhou (in present-day Shandong Province).

In the early years of the Mingchang era (1190-1196), Su Xuan turned to Qiu Changchun (Qiu Chuji) as his teacher. He was ordered to spread Taoist doctrines and confer ordination rituals in the Yanji region (covering parts of present-day Beijing and Tianjin). He resided at Chongfu Guan (Chongfu Taoist Temple) and later died of illness.

In the 5th year of the Dingzong era of the Yuan Dynasty (1250), he was posthumously awarded the honorific title "Tixuan Fujiao Yunzhong Zhenren" (Venerable Yunzhong of Embodiment of Mystery and Assistance to the Teachings).