Wang Chongyang

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Wang (王).

Wang Chongyang

Taoism
This article is part of a series on Taoism
Fundamentals
Dao (Tao) · De (Te) · Wuji · Taiji ·
Yin-Yang · Wu xing · Qi · Neidan ·
Wu wei
Texts
Laozi (Tao Te Ching) ·
Zhuangzi · Liezi · Daozang
Deities
Three Pure Ones · Yu Huang ·
Guan Shengdi · Eight Immortals ·
Yellow Emperor · Xiwangmu ·
Jade Emperor · Chang'e ·
Other deities
People
Laozi · Zhuangzi ·
Zhang Daoling · Zhang Jiao ·
Ge Hong · Chen Tuan
Schools
Tianshi Dao ·
Shangqing · Lingbao ·
Quanzhen Dao · Zhengyi Dao ·
Wuliupai
Sacred sites
Grotto-heavens
Mount Penglai
Taoism Portal  v • d • e

Wang Chongyang (11 January 1113 – 22 January 1170) [Chinese calendar: 宋徽宗政和二年十二月廿二 – 金世宗大定十年正月初四] (simplified Chinese: 王重阳; traditional Chinese: 王重陽; pinyin: Wáng Chóngyáng) was a Song Dynasty Taoist and one of the founders of the Quanzhen School in the twelfth century. He was one of the Five Northern Patriarchs of Quanzhen. He is also featured in works of Wuxia fiction.

Name

• Family name: Wang (王)
• Given names: Zhongfu (中孚); Dewei (德威); Zhe (喆)
• Chinese style name: Yunqing (允卿); Shixiong (世雄); Zhiming (知明)
• Title: Chongyangzi (重陽子)

Life

Wang Chongyang was born with his birth name as "Zhongfu" in a wealthy family in 1113. He was educated in Chinese classics and martial arts.

Wang intended to start a rebellion against the Jin Dynasty, which ruled northern China then.^[1] According to tradition, in the summer of 1159 when he was 48, he met two Taoist immortals in a tavern, Zhongli Quan and Lü Dongbin. They trained him in secret forms of Taoism. He changed his name to "Zhe" and adopted the Taoist name "Chongyang".

In 1160, Wang met one of the immortals again and was provided with a set of written instructions called "Ganshui Xianyuan Lu". Those written instructions included the names of two men who would later become his disciples (Ma Yu and Tan Chuduan). Wang Chongyang built a tomb for himself near Mount Zhongnan and called it "Tomb of the Living Dead". He lived in it for three years.

At the end of the three years, Wang Chongyang filled the tomb with earth and built a hut on top of it and called it "Complete Perfection Hut." He spent the next four years in the hut studying Taoism and imparting his knowledge to others. During that time, he met Tan Chuduan who became his disciple after he cured Tan from illness. Qiu Chuji and Tan traveled around the local towns and villages with Wang and founded five Taoist congregations. Wang Chongyang's teachings were referred to the "Teachings of the Complete Perfection" (after the hut) and his branch of Taoism became known as the Quanzhen School.

In 1167, Wang Chongyang burnt down the hut and traveled east to Shandong where he met Ma Yu and Ma's wife Sun Bu'er. They became his disciples as well. He accepted a total of seven disciples who later became known as "Seven Masters of Quanzhen" aka "Seven Elders of Quanzhen". They are also called the "Seven Immortals" or "Seven Perfected Beings".

In 1187, Emperor Shizong of Jin summoned Wang Chongyang's disciple Wang Chuyi (and, according to some sources, also Qiu Chuji) to preach in his inner palace. Later, he requested the presence of Wang Chongyang at his deathbed.^[1] Shizong's successor, Emperor Zhangzong, banned the teaching of Quanzhen Taoism. He considered them as causing heretical and detrimental to society;^[1]He converted to Quanzhen's teachings later and let Wang Chuyi stay in Yanjing (now Beijing) for a year.^[1] Shizong's grandson Wanyan Shou later wrote a biography for Wang Chongyang.^[1]

Writings

Wang Chongyang was the author of many poems of Taoist instruction. According to legend, Liu Chuxuan became a follower of Wang Chongyang after reading one of Wang's poems.

Wang Chongyang's writings include:

• "An Anthology of Complete Perfection by Chongyang" (Chongyang Quanzhen Ji)
• "Chongyang's Anthology on Teaching Transformation" (Chongyang Jiaohua Ji)
• "Chongyang's Anthology of the Ten Transformations by Dividing Pears" (Chongyang fenli shihua ji) (The phrase "to divide a pear" is a pun for "to separate," these were writings intended to convince Ma Yu and Sun Bu'er to separate in order to better cultivate the Dao.)

Disciples

Wang Chongyang and his seven disciples, depicted in Changchun Temple, Wuhan

Most notable of Wang Chongyang's seven disciples were Sun Bu'er, and Qiu Chuji. Sun was one of the most important female Taoist role-models. Her husband, Ma Yu, was also one of the seven disciples. Ma succeeded Wang Chongyang as the leader of the Quanzhen School.

Qiu Chuji gained the favor of Genghis Khan and founded the famous White Cloud Monastery in Beijing. Genghis Khan granted tax-exempt status to all Quanzhen schools and placed Qiu in charge of all religions in China.

Each of the seven disciples founded his or her own lineage of Quanzhen Taoism. They are as follows:

1. Ma Yu (馬鈺) founded the Yuxian lineage (Meeting the Immortals)
2. Tan Chuduan (譚處端) founded the Nanwu lineage (Southern Void)
3. Liu Chuxuan (劉處玄) founded the Suishan lineage (Mount Sui)
4. Qiu Chuji (丘處機) founded the Longmen lineage (Dragon Gate)
5. Wang Chuyi (王處一) founded the Yushan lineage (Mount Yu)
6. Hao Datong (郝大通) founded the Huashan lineage (Mount Hua)
7. Sun Bu'er (孙不二) founded the Qingjing lineage (Clarity and Stillness)

Popular culture

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2009)

Wang Chongyang (played by Kwok Tak Shun) in the 1994 TV series The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

In the first two instalments of Louis Cha's Condor Trilogy, Wang Chongyang is depicted as the top pugilist of his time, and is respected with the honorary title "Central Divine" (中神通). Wang and the Quanzhen sect are regarded as the leaders of the Jianghu. He appears in The Legend of the Condor Heroes as a patriotic Taoist of Song. His story is later related by Qiu Chuji in the sequel novel The Return of the Condor Heroes. In Dragon Tiger Gate, he is noted as the creator of the Nine Solar Art.

References

• Daoism Handbook, Livia Kohn, editor. (Handbook of Oriental Studies Section Four, Volume 14.) Brill Academic Publishers, 2000.
• The Taoist Manual: An Illustrated Guide Applying Taoism to Daily Life, Brock Silvers. Sacred Mountain Press 2005.

External links

• 王喆生平事迹考述 (Chinese)