Early Gazetteer of Mount Heng 南岳小录

Compiled by Li Chongzhao, a Taoist priest, as originally inscribed.

The work was completed in the late Tang Dynasty. It was recorded as one volume in The New Book of Tang · Bibliographic Treatise. The current edition is included in the Daozang under the category of Genealogies and Records in the The Dongxuan Section.

Early Gazetteer of Mount Heng

At the beginning of the volume, there is a preface by the author written in the Renxu year (902), stating that Chongzhao practiced the Dao at Mount Heng, visited sacred sites, extensively studied ancient stone inscriptions and Illustrated Classic of Mount Heng, and consulted elders and teachers. Based on what he had obtained, he compiled this book.

Mount Heng, the Southern Yue, is a sacred place of Taoism. From the Six Dynasties to the Sui and Tang dynasties, Taoist Priests often came to this mountain to build abbeys and cultivate the Dao. This book gives a detailed account of the scenic mountains and rivers of Mount Heng, as well as the stories of Taoist practitioners who attained the Dao and ascended to immortality through the ages.

“From the five peaks and three streams, the ancient palaces, abbeys and herbal halls, to the generations of those who attained the Dao and ascended, and the signs of divine wonders,” all are recorded in this compilation. The book contains a total of thirty-eight entries. The latest Taoist priest mentioned is Liu Xuanjing of the late Tang Dynasty, who died in the fifth year of the Dazhong reign (851).