The Wang Zongdao 王宗道

Wang Zongdao (1346-1415) was a native of Huai'an in the early Ming Dynasty. His courtesy names were Jingyun and Jingxian.

Huai'an Prefecture Records states: In his early years, he lived with He Wugou, a Taoist priest who wandered around (like a cloud or flowing water), for several years. Later, he traveled to Mount Song and Mount Hua, where he met Zhang Sanfeng and subsequently studied under him as a disciple.

Zhang Sanfeng taught him the esoteric techniques of daoyin (qigong exercises for guiding vital energy) and yansou (gargling to nurture vitality), as well as the "Buxu Dongwei" verses (a type of Taoist hymn for communicating with celestial beings and perceiving subtle truths). Wang Zongdao often wandered freely in markets and workshops, and many scholar-officials invited him to their homes.

In the first year of the Yongle reign (1403), he was appointed as a "Jishizhong" (an imperial censor in the Ming Dynasty who advised the emperor and supervised officials). In the fourth year (1406), Emperor Chengzu (Zhu Di) longed to meet Zhang Sanfeng, so he summoned Wang Zongdao, granted him a certificate for the Quanzhen School (a major Taoist school), and bestowed upon him a golden crown and a crane-feather cloak. Wang Zongdao was ordered to carry the emperor’s letter to search for Zhang Sanfeng, but after more than ten years, he finally found nothing. Later, he was conferred the title "Yuande Zhenren" (True Person of Complete Virtue).

He lived to the age of seventy.