What is the Fangxian Tao 方仙道？

  The School of Fangxian Dao emerged at the end of the Warring States Period. It refers to people who engaged in esoteric arts, technical skills, and other Taoist practices, known as "fangshi" (alchemists or occultists) at that time. This included those proficient in astronomy, medicine, immortality studies, divination, physiognomy, geomancy, and other arts, who believed that taking elixirs and performing sacrifices could lead to immortality.

According to records in Records of the Grand Historian: Book of Feng and Shan Sacrifices, the earliest fangshi was Chang Hong during the reign of King Ling of Zhou. It was said that he was versed in the studies of yin and yang and understood matters concerning ghosts and gods. During the Warring States Period, the most influential fangshi was Zou Yan from the State of Qi. He advocated the concepts of "the mutual conquest of the five elements" and "the cyclic succession of the five virtues" as signs of divine will, becoming a prominent Yin-Yang school thinker of his time.

The most famous fangshi in the Qin Dynasty was Xu Fu. He was the first to sail east to Japan under the pretext of "seeking immortal medicines," bringing pre-Qin culture—especially advanced agricultural planting techniques and craftsmanship of various trades—to Japan. He became the earliest figure to pioneer the history of Sino-Japanese friendship, promoting the development of civilization in Japan, Asia, and the world.

Other representatives of the pre-Qin School of Fangxian Dao included Song Wuji, Zheng Boqiao, Hou Gong, and Shi Sheng. During the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties, there were Li Shaojun, Shaoweng, Ximen Junhui, and others, all of whom were renowned fangshi of their time. These fangshi sought immortality for emperors, searched for immortals on their behalf, collected herbs, refined elixirs, and propagated the idea that immortality could be learned and attained. Such activities remained active until the end of the Han Dynasty.

The School of Fangxian Dao was the origin of the Taoist ideology of achieving immortality through taking elixirs. Together with the idea of achieving longevity through self-cultivation advocated by Laozi and Zhuangzi, it respectively influenced the development of the two major factions within the Taoist Alchemy School: the "external alchemy" faction and the "internal alchemy" faction.