The Zhang Dongyuan 张洞渊

Zhang Dongyuan, also known by his courtesy name Shouqing and literary name Yuexia, was a native of Yidu during the Yuan Dynasty.

In his childhood, he studied the classics and writings required for the imperial examination (the path to officialdom in ancient China). At the age of 31, he became a Taoist monk, studying under the Taoist master Lu Dongyun. Later, Zhang Shouqing built Xuyi Palace on Nanyan (South Cliff) of Wudang Mountain, a project that took more than ten years to complete.

Subsequently, he further acquired the Qingwei Taoist magical arts (a major school of Taoist ritual and spellcraft) from Ye Yunlai and Liu Dongyang. In the Zhida reign period of the Yuan Dynasty (1310), the Empress sent an imperial envoy to commission him to hold a Jinlu Jiao (a grand Taoist ritual of the highest rank, typically held for imperial blessings, national prosperity, or spiritual salvation).

In the first year of the Huangqing reign (1312), there was a drought in the imperial capital. Zhang Shouqing was summoned to conduct prayer rituals for rain, which proved highly effective. The two imperial palaces (referring to the empress dowager’s and the emperor’s palaces) were greatly pleased, and he was bestowed the honorific title of "Tixuan Miaoying Taihe Zhenren" (True Person of Embodied Mystery, Wonderful Response, and Great Harmony).

The imperial court also renamed Xuyi Palace to "Tianyi Zhenqing Wanshou Palace" (Palace of Heavenly Unity, True Celebration, and Longevity). In the first year of the Yanyou reign (1314; note: there is a chronological inconsistency in the original text—Yanyou 1 corresponds to 1314, not 1311), Zhang Shouqing was ordered to carry incense back to Wudang Mountain to conduct sacrificial rituals, and he was also put in charge of administrative affairs of the Taoist community.

In his later years, he retired to seclusion. He had many disciples, among whom the most famous included Gao Daoming, Huang Mingyou, and Shan Dao’an.