The Xu Lingzhen 许灵真

Xu Lingzhen was a figure of the Southern Dynasties (420–589 AD).

He was the great-great-grandson of Xu Yufu (a key Taoist master of the Shangqing School, also known as Xu Hui). As recorded in Shangqing Dao Lei Shi Xiang (Classified Matters Concerning the Shangqing Dao), in the early years of the Liu Song Dynasty (420–479 AD), Prince Jing of Changsha had a Taoist hermitage built to the east of the former residence of Zhangshi Xu—most likely referring to Xu Mi, a core figure in the Shangqing School and an ancestor of Xu Lingzhen. In the 13th year of the Tianjian era of the Liang Dynasty (514 AD), the imperial court issued an edict to bestow the name "Zhuyang Guan" (Zhuyang Taoist Temple) upon this hermitage, elevating its status to an officially recognized Taoist institution.

During the Liang Dynasty, Xu Lingzhen resided on Maoshan Mountain (a sacred mountain and spiritual hub of the Shangqing School). With imperial approval, he established the "Sizhen Guan" (Sizhen Taoist Temple) adjacent to the Zhuyang Guan. This act was intended to honor the noble virtues and profound contributions of his distant ancestor—specifically Zhangshi Xu (Xu Mi)—to the development of Taoism.