The Zhang Qizhen 张契真

Zhang Qizhen (936-1006), styled Qiyi, was a native of Qiantang in the early Northern Song Dynasty.

Orphaned at an early age (both parents deceased when he was young), he wandered through the famous mountains of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces and later became a Taoist priest. He resided at the Zhensheng Palace on Wushan Mountain.

In the 5th year of the Xiande era of Emperor Shizong of the Later Zhou Dynasty (958), he studied under Heavenly Master Fan Dayuan, from whom he received the transmission of the Zhengyi Mengwei Lingbao Taoist ritual system. From this point onward, his attainments in Taoism advanced significantly, and his reputation spread far and wide across Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

During the Taiping Xingguo era of the Northern Song Dynasty (976-984), Emperor Taizong ordered the construction of the Taiyi Palace and issued an imperial edict summoning eminent Taoist masters from across the country to reside there; Zhang Qizhen was among those who took up residence.

The Emperor summoned him for an audience, and his responses fully met the imperial expectations, earning him the award of a purple robe (a symbol of high honor for Taoist clergy). Emperor Taizong then commanded the Daolu Si (Taoist Administrative Office) of the Two Districts (a central Taoist administrative body) to select scholars of outstanding caliber to compile and revise Taoist scriptures, and Zhang Qizhen was again assigned to this task.

After the scriptures were completed, he was bestowed with the honorific title "Great Master Xuanjing" (Xuanjing meaning "Profound Tranquility"). By nature, Zhang Qizhen was a quiet and reserved person; his only passion was the study of the works of Laozi and Zhuangzi (foundational texts of Taoism). He transcribed over five hundred volumes of classics, including Confucian classics, historical records, philosophical treatises, and literary anthologies, and was skilled in cursive and official script (two major styles of Chinese calligraphy).

In the first lunar month of the 3rd year of the Jingde era of Emperor Zhenzong (1006), he passed away due to illness at the age of seventy-one.

(From Volume 48 of Lishi Zhenxian Tidao Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror of the True Immortals Who Embodied the Dao Through the Ages))