The Zhou Ziran 周自然

Zhou Ziran was a native of Jintai in the early Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), which corresponds to present-day Yixian County, Hebei Province.

As recorded in Records of Wudang Mountain (Wudangshan Zhi): He joined the Quanzhen School of Taoism at an early age. When he grew up, he traveled extensively across the country, disseminating Taoist teachings to enlighten the common people and providing medicinal treatments to cure the sick.

In the early years of the Hongwu reign (1368–1398, the first reign period of the Ming Dynasty), he frequently traveled to and from the Wulong Palace (Five-Dragon Palace) on Wudang Mountain.

People near and far, impressed by the profundity of his Taoist doctrines and the efficacy of his medicinal treatments, all held him in high esteem and admiration—his reputation as a Taoist master flourished greatly. When he was approaching his eighties or nineties (maodie, a term referring to advanced old age, usually 70–90 years old), his skin still looked as smooth and youthful as that of a child. Later, he passed away peacefully without suffering from any illness.