The Wudang School 武当派

The Wudang School, a Taoist sect that emerged in Wudang Mountain, Hubei Province, and reveres "Zhenwu the Great Emperor".

Wudang Mountain is also known as Taihe Mountain. Taoism in Wudang has a long history. As early as the Wei and Jin dynasties, it was a place for Taoists to cultivate themselves, and was called a "fairy chamber". In the Jin Dynasty, "hundreds of people studied Taoism in Wudang Mountain, and the succession was unbroken" (Wang Shao of the Jin Dynasty, Records of Nanyong Prefecture). Dai Meng, Xie Yun, and Liu Qiu were all Taoists who cultivated themselves and became immortals in Wudang.

During the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty (627-649), the Taoist priests of Wudang Mountain prayed for rain through rituals and got responses. Emperor Taizong ordered the construction of the Wulong Temple, and during the reign of Emperor Daizong, the Taiyi Temple and Yanchang Temple were built by imperial decree. During the Five Dynasties, the eminent Taoist Chen Tuan lived in seclusion in Jiushi Rock of Wudang Mountain, practicing qi absorption and fasting for more than 20 years. In the second year of Tianxi in the Song Dynasty (1018), Emperor Zhenzong conferred the title "Zhentian Zhenwu Lingying Yousheng Zhenjun" on the Zhenwu God of Wudang. The influence of Wudang Taoism grew day by day in the Song Dynasty, and the Taoist skills of Wudang priests became famous in the world.

In the Yuan Dynasty, Wudang Mountain already had nine palaces and eight temples. Famous Taoists such as Ye Xizhen, Zhang Shouqing, Lu Dongyun, Wang Zhenchang, Zhang Daogui, Ye Yunlai, Liu Dongyang, and Hu Daoxuan founded sects and passed on teachings in Wudang Mountain, with thousands of disciples. The Ming Dynasty was the heyday of Wudang Taoism: Emperors Chengzu and Shizong of the Ming Dynasty successively built palaces and temples in Wudang, which lasted for decades. A huge complex of buildings was newly constructed, including eight palaces, two temples, 26 nunneries, 72 rock temples, 39 bridges, and 12 pavilions.

Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty selected 400 eminent Taoists from across the country to preside over Wudang's Taoist affairs. By the Jiajing period (1522-1566), each major palace and temple in Wudang Mountain had hundreds of Taoists, and the whole mountain had more than 10,000 people including Taoist officials, Taoists, soldiers, and craftsmen. Wudang is a famous Taoist mountain, and Taoists of various sects have always lived and cultivated here. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Taoist sects in Wudang Mountain included the Wudang Qingwei School, Quanzhen School, Zhengyi School, Maoshan School, etc. In the early Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Sanfeng entered Wudang Mountain to practice, and later left the mountain to travel far. Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty sent people to search for "the true immortal" Zhang Sanfeng many times but failed, which further expanded the influence of Wudang Taoism.

Zhang Sanfeng practiced Taoism in Wudang Mountain. His direct disciple Qiu Xuanqing lived in Wulong Palace, Lu Qiuyun in Nanyan Palace, and Liu Guquan and Yang Shancheng in Zixiao Palace, forming a Taoist sect with Zhang Sanfeng as the master, known as the Wudang School in the world. Another direct disciple of Zhang Sanfeng, Liu Biyun, was later revered as the ancestor of the Wudang Langmei School. The "Langmei School", which mainly worships Emperor Xuandi, is also called the Wudang Local School and is a branch of the Zhengyi School. Its teaching transmission system includes characters like "Bi Shan Chuan Ri Yue, Shou Dao He Zi Ran, Xing Li Tong Xuan De, Qing Wei Gu Tai Yuan" (meaning "Green mountains pass on the sun and moon, uphold the Tao to conform to nature, understand nature and principles to gain profound virtue, pure and subtle ancient great origin").

The Wudang School founded by Zhang Sanfeng differs from Quanzhen Taoism in terms of doctrines and traditions. This school reveres "Zhenwu the Great Emperor", emphasizes the unity of the three teachings (Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism) ideologically, regarding "Tao" as the common source of the three teachings, taking morality, benevolence, righteousness, loyalty, and filial piety as the foundation, and attaching importance to inner alchemy cultivation, with a special emphasis on spiritual cultivation. Zhang Sanfeng was highly skilled in martial arts, proficient in both boxing and swordsmanship. It is said that the internal martial arts of the Wudang School originated from Zhang Sanfeng.

Since the Ming Dynasty, Taoists of all sects who came to practice in Wudang have called themselves Wudang Taoists and regarded Zhang Sanfeng as their ancestor. In the General Register of Various True Sects collected in Beijing's Baiyun Temple, the Wudang Taoist sects that take Zhang Sanfeng as their ancestor include the Zhenwu Xuanwu School, Natural School, Sanfeng Ancestor Natural School, Sanfeng Ancestor Rixin School, Rixin School, Sanfeng Ancestor Penglai School, Sanfeng School, etc. In the Ming Dynasty, the Wudang Taoist temple became a "royal temple", attracting eminent Taoists from all over the world. The status of Wudang Taoism rose day by day, replacing Gezao Mountain, and together with Longhu Mountain and Maoshan Mountain, they were called the three mountains of new talisman sects.

The Complete Works of Zhang Sanfeng and Records of the Imperial Construction of Dayue Taihe Mountain are the main materials for studying Wudang Taoism.

Wudang had the largest religious community in the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the largest-scale Taoist building complex and precious statues and ritual instruments. Wudang, known as "Xuan Yue of Governing the World", became the most famous mountain in the world. Wudang Taoism has gone through wars and fires, and now there are still more than 400 buildings such as six palaces and two temples, and more than 7,000 cultural relics. There are more than 100 Wudang Taoists now. The internal martial arts of the Wudang Xuanwu School are famous at home and abroad, and Wudang Taoism is still renowned in the world for its cultivation and martial arts.