The Yu Tongqing 于通清

Yu Tongqing (1162-1217) was a native of Xizhou, Hedong (now part of Shanxi Province) during the Jin Dynasty.

As recorded in the first volume of Zhongnan Mountain Ancestral Court Immortals and Real Persons Internal Biography: His courtesy name was Taining, and he styled himself Zhenguangzi (Master of True Radiance) and Tuyang Hermit. In the 19th year of the Dading era (1179), he became a Taoist monk by studying under Ma Danyang. Diligent and eager to learn, he was taught all the esoteric Taoist formulas by Ma Danyang, and thus began to master Taoist doctrines. In the 22nd year of the Dading era (1182), when Ma Danyang returned eastward to Ninghai, Yu Tongqing stayed at the ancestral Taoist temple (of the Quanzhen Sect) as instructed by his master, and then turned to Qiu Changchun (Qiu Chuji) as his new teacher.

In the 2nd year of the Mingchang era (1191), he followed Qiu Changchun back east to the coastal areas and resided at Taixu Guan (Taixu Temple) in Qixia. A few years later, Qiu Changchun imparted to him the teachings of Quanzhen Taoism and ordered him to propagate Taoist doctrines in places such as Hebei, Yanjing (modern Beijing), and Jizhou.

Yu Tongqing traveled north to Fudu (now part of Inner Mongolia), where he lived in seclusion for three years. Later, he built Huayang Guan (Huayang Temple) and taught the rules and precepts of Quanzhen Taoism there. Within a few years, the number of disciples he initiated into Taoism exceeded a thousand. In the 1st year of the Da’an era (1209), Wang Yuyang came to visit and took him to Yanjing. Yu Tongqing was then granted a purple robe (a symbol of high status for Taoist masters) and conferred the title "Dharma Master" by imperial authority.

In the 2nd year of the Zhenyou era (1214), following Qiu Changchun’s order, he returned to Shandong and took charge of Taixu Guan. In the 1st year of the Xingding era (1217), to avoid the chaos of war, he moved to Xiuzhen An (Xiuzhen Hermitage) in Xingshan Village, Fushan County. Soon after, he passed away due to illness at the age of 56.