The Zhao Siqi 赵嗣祺

Zhao Siqi (1276-1340) was a native of Longquan during the Yuan Dynasty. He styled himself "Xuyi".

At the age of 24, he studied Taoism at Tianyou Taoist Abbey on Wuyi Mountain, under the tutelage of Zhang Demao, a virtuous and accomplished Taoist master. Later, he went to Qiantang (present-day Hangzhou), where Taoist "True Person" Du of Zongyang Palace appointed him to reside at Tongxuan Temple. Subsequently, he traveled to the imperial capital to pursue further Taoist learning, and paid respects to Zhang Liusun and Wu Quanjie (two prominent Taoist figures of the Yuan Dynasty).

In the first year of the Yanyou era (1314), an imperial edict appointed Zhao Siqi as the abbot of Yuxu Palace on Xiandu Mountain. He was granted a bronze official seal and concurrently served as the Tidian (supervisor) in charge of ritual practices and maintenance at Zixu Temple on Shaowei Mountain.

In the first year of the Zhishun era (1330), he was bestowed the titles "Zhenshang of the Taoist Sect" (a high honorific in Taoism) and "Mr. Xuyi of Profound Brightness and Great Promotion of the Dao".

Shortly afterward, an imperial decree renamed Xuanmiao Temple to "Great Yuan Xingyong Shou Palace", and Zhao Siqi was put in charge of its renovation.

Later, he was ordered to serve as the abbot of Shengyuan Baode Temple on Jichou Mountain in Wuxing, and concurrently held the position of abbot of Baihe Temple. Before long, he was again commanded by imperial edict to oversee the affairs of all Taoist temples and palaces in the local circuit.

He was entrusted with conducting sacrificial rituals on behalf of the imperial court at various sacred sites, including Mount Taihua, Mount Wushan, the Jiangdu Water God Shrine (dedicated to the spirit of the Yangtze River), Mount Songgao, Mount Wangwu, and Jiyuan. He also announced the imperial edict of "Great Protection and Support" (for Taoism) to various prefectures in regions such as Jianghuai, Jingxiang, Guanghai, and Bafan.

In his later years, Zhao Siqi grew weary of the hustle and bustle of worldly affairs. He retired to the south of the Yangtze River and spent nearly a decade wandering among the mountains and forests.

He passed away due to illness in the sixth year of the Zhiyuan era (1340) at the age of 64