IOverview
Wudang Daoism is the umbrella name for the Daoist tradition of Mount Wudang in Hubei province. Its central deity is Zhenwu, also called Xuanwu or the Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heavens, guardian of the north. An essay by the Wudang Mountain Taoist Association explains the mountain's name as meaning that only Zhenwu is fit to hold it.
Wudang is not a single lineage like Longmen. Over the centuries the mountain has gathered many lines: Quanzhen, Zhengyi, Shangqing, Qingwei and local lineages. What they share is the worship of Zhenwu as the highest god of the mountain and a belief in the unity of the three teachings. Outside religious circles, Wudang is best known for the internal martial arts.
IIHistory
According to Wikipedia, the first shrine on the mountain was the Five Dragons Temple, built at the order of Emperor Taizong of Tang. Xuanwu began as the tortoise and snake of the northern sky in ancient astronomy. Under the Song, emperors granted it title after title, and it became a major god worshipped by court and people alike under the name Zhenwu.
The great turning point came under the Ming. The Yongle emperor believed Zhenwu had protected him in his rise to the throne and ordered a vast temple complex on the mountain. According to UNESCO, in the Ming period the mountain held 9 palaces, 9 monasteries, 36 nunneries and 72 temples. In 1413 the court chose more than a hundred Daoists to live in the palaces, over twenty of them as teachers and abbots, according to the Dao World website.
- Tang dynastyFive Dragons TempleThe first shrine, built at Emperor Taizong's order.
- 1141Sun Jiran restores the templesA Shangqing master, according to Dao World.
- 1275Quanzhen arrivesWang Sizhen comes to Wudang and teaches over a hundred disciples, according to Dao World.
- 1412 to 1419The Yongle building campaignMajor structures such as the Taihe Palace date from this period.
- 1989The Wudang Xuanwu lineThe Wudang Mountain Taoist Association holds a transmission ceremony at the Taihe and Zixiao palaces, according to Dao World.
- 1994World HeritageUNESCO inscribes the Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains.
IIITeachings and Distinctive Features
The teaching on Mount Wudang does not differ from the common ground of Daoism. What is particular is the place of Zhenwu and the idea of Great Harmony, Taihe. The Wudang Mountain Taoist Association explains Taihe on four levels: harmony within body and mind, between people, between people and nature, and between heaven and earth. Wudang is also known as Mount Taihe.
Legend credits Zhang Sanfeng, a hermit said to have lived on Wudang, with creating taijiquan. Dao World records a line of transmission from Zhang Sanfeng through several generations of disciples. Historians, however, have not confirmed that Zhang Sanfeng created taijiquan, and many scholars regard the story as a later legend.
Many people picture Wudang as a martial arts sect from wuxia novels. In fact Wudang is first a sacred Daoist mountain with many lineages. Martial practice is one part of the health cultivation there, not the whole.
IVPractice, Ritual and Daily Life
Life on the mountain centres on the worship of Zhenwu, daily liturgy, feast days and receiving pilgrims. According to Wikipedia, Wudang is famous for internal martial arts such as taijiquan, xingyiquan and baguazhang, rooted in cultivating inner energy. Many temples and martial schools on the mountain teach Chinese and foreign students.
Climbing to Heavenly Pillar Peak, where a bronze hall to Zhenwu stands, is a familiar pilgrimage for believers from Hubei and neighbouring provinces.
VOrganisation and Distribution
The temples on the mountain are run by the Wudang Mountain Taoist Association within the framework of the Chinese Taoist Association. According to UNESCO, 53 ancient buildings and 9 architectural sites survive. Beyond Hubei, the Wudang name is used by many martial arts schools in China and abroad. The library has found no figures for the number of Daoists now living on the mountain.
VIIn Vietnam
No branch of Wudang is registered in Vietnam. The closest link is the cult of Huyen Thien Tran Vu, the same deity as Zhenwu. The Quan Thanh temple by West Lake in Hanoi, formerly called Tran Vu Quan, is its best known shrine. The library's main article describes it as a former Daoist centre, but the worship of Tran Vu in Vietnam has its own Vietnamese legends and history and is not a branch of Mount Wudang.
VIISymbol of the Branch
Xuanwu tortoise and snake
玄武 龜蛇
VIIIOther Branches of Taoism
Zhengyi Dao正一道Descends from Zhang Daoling's Way of the Celestial Masters of 142 CE.
Quanzhen Daoism全真道Founded by Wang Chongyang in 1167 in Shandong.Uses the common symbol of the path
Longmen Daoism龍門派The largest Quanzhen line, honouring Qiu Chuji as patriarch, centred on the White Cloud Monastery.Shangqing Daoism上清派 茅山Formed around scriptures recorded by Yang Xi in 364 to 370, with Lady Wei Huacun as first matriarch.Uses the common symbol of the path
Lingbao Daoism靈寶派Began around 400 CE with scriptures compiled by Ge Chaofu in 397 to 402.Wudang Daoism武當派Tied to Mount Wudang in Hubei and the cult of Zhenwu, the Dark Warrior.Jingming Daoism淨明道, full name 淨明忠孝道Honours Xu Xun of the Jin as first patriarch and took shape in the Southern Song.Uses the common symbol of the pathTaoism in VietnamTemples, ritual masters and cults shaped by TaoismNot a school but the form Taoism takes in Vietnam.Uses the common symbol of the pathIXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
?Quick Questions
Who is worshipped at Wudang
The central deity of Mount Wudang is Zhenwu, also called Xuanwu or the Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heavens, guardian of the north. Vietnamese know him as Huyen Thien Tran Vu.
Did Zhang Sanfeng invent taijiquan
Legend says so. Historians have not confirmed it, and many scholars see it as a later legend.
Is the Quan Thanh temple in Hanoi part of Wudang
No. It worships Huyen Thien Tran Vu, the same deity as Zhenwu, but it belongs to Vietnamese religious tradition and is not a branch of Wudang.
Is Mount Wudang a World Heritage site
Yes. The Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains was inscribed by UNESCO in 1994.