The Xiao Daoxi 萧道熙

Xiao Daoxi was a native of Weizhou during the Jin Dynasty, and his courtesy name was Guangyuan. His original surname was Han, and his ancestors were from Bianzhou.

He came from an official family: his father, Han Ju, however, chose to live in seclusion, nurturing his virtues without entering government service. During the Zhenglong era of the Jin Dynasty (1156–1161), the Taiyi Sect (a Taoist school) propagated its teachings through sacred rituals and doctrines, and people everywhere readily followed its influence. The entire Han family engaged in pure Taoist cultivation. After Xiao Daoxi was born, he was raised in a Taoist temple; when he grew a little older, he was ordained as a Taoist priest.

He loved reading, was erudite and skilled in literary composition, and made friends with virtuous scholars and officials from all over the country. He was also proficient in calligraphy and painting, whose style carried the legacy of the Wei and Jin dynasties (220–420).

After inheriting the leadership of the Taiyi Sect and its doctrinal transmission, his reputation and the sect’s influence grew significantly, with disciples spreading across northern China. He practiced and upheld Taoist talismanic rituals, expelled evil spirits, and his merits in subduing demons and delivering people from suffering were widely celebrated throughout his time.

In the 26th year of the Dading era (1186), he passed down the ritual instruments and doctrinal authority of the sect to Xiao Zhichong, then retreated to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests—his final whereabouts remained unknown. After his death, he was posthumously honored with the title "Zhenren of Chongming" (True Person of Double Brightness).

Accounts of his life can be found in The Stele Inscription of Master Xiao, the Second-Generation Transmitter of the Taiyi Sect and Posthumously Honored as Zhenren of Chongming for Inheriting the Teachings.