The Zhang Jizong 张继宗

Zhang Jizong (1667–1715) was the 54th Heavenly Master of the Zhengyi School (a major branch of Taoism). His courtesy name was Shanshu, and his literary name was Bicheng; he was the eldest son of Zhang Hongren.

Eight months after his birth, his father passed away, so his uncle Zhang Hongxie acted as the interim administrator of Taoist affairs. In the 10th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1681), Zhang Jizong inherited the title of Heavenly Master and went to the capital to have an audience with the emperor. The emperor ordered him to pray for rain, and his prayer proved efficacious. The emperor then bestowed upon him a royal calligraphy plaque inscribed with "Bicheng" (Green City), which he adopted as his literary name.

In the 33rd year of the Kangxi reign (1691), Zhang Jizong was ordered by imperial edict to offer incense at the Five Great Sacred Mountains (Wuyue) and in places such as Bianjing (modern Kaifeng). During this journey, he used an iron talisman to subdue flooding.

In the 35th year of the Kangxi reign (1696), the emperor gave him a "Heaven and Earth Jade Sword" (Qiankun Jade Sword). In the 42nd year (1703), he was officially conferred the title of "Guanglu Dafu" (Grand Master of Imperial Feasts, a high-ranking honorary official title in imperial China). In the 46th year (1707), the emperor granted him a residence in the capital. In the 52nd year (1713), the emperor allocated imperial silver to fund the renovation of the temples and halls on Longhu Mountain (the ancestral home of the Zhengyi Heavenly Masters).

In the 54th year of the Kangxi reign (1715), Zhang Jizong set off for the capital to meet the emperor. He died at the Qionghua Temple in Yangzhou while en route, at the age of 48.

(From Butian Shi Shijia / Supplement to the Genealogy of the Heavenly Masters)