The Zhou Yangben 周阳本

Zhou Yangben (1715–1813) was a native of Haining, Zhejiang Province, during the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing Dynasty. His original name was Tongzhao; his courtesy name was Yonglin, and his literary names included Tixia.

According to Jingai Xindeng (The Golden Cover and the Lamp of the Heart), he became a Taoist Priest in his childhood and initially studied Taoist talismans. Later, he held the position of Daoji Si (Director of Taoist Affairs Administration) in Yuhang. He was skilled in calligraphy and proficient in Taoist arts—his prayers for rain or clear weather were always effective, and the locals all held him in high regard. He served as the abbot of Tiancao Taoist Temple and Liwang Taoist Temple for many years.

When he was over sixty, he met Taoist Master Shen Qingyun (Shen Yibing, styled Qingyunzi) in Nantang, and thus converted to the Longmen School (a major branch of Quanzhen Taoism) to practice danfa (Taoist inner alchemy). He then went to Tongshan Mountain, resided at Banchi Hut, and lived in seclusion there for more than thirty years. In the early years of the Jiaqing reign (c. 1796–1800), he went to Mount Jingai and took charge of the lecture seat at Yunchao (lecturing on Taoist doctrines).

Zhou Yangben passed away in the eleventh lunar month of the 18th year of the Jiaqing reign (1813) at the age of 99. He was the 12th-generation "Precept Master" (a Taoist title for those authorized to transmit religious precepts) of the Longmen School.