The Wang Yongning 王永宁

Wang Yongning was a native of Linzhang (now part of Hebei Province) during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).

He studied under Tao Zhongwen and later became a Taoist Priest, residing at Chaotian Palace in Nanjing. During the Jiajing reign period of the Ming Dynasty (1522–1566), he was summoned to the imperial inner court by imperial edict to conduct rituals for praying for rain or clear skies, and most of these rituals proved effective.

At that time, northern troops invaded the border regions; Wang Yongning was again summoned by imperial edict to march north and expel the invaders, and he rendered outstanding military service. Emperor Shizong of the Ming Dynasty (also known as the Jiajing Emperor) bestowed upon him a gold seal and a purple sash (symbols of high honor and official status in ancient China) and conferred on him the title "Tongzhen Zhenren" (the "True Person of Universal Truth," a prestigious honorific for accomplished Taoist practitioners).