Mount Longjiao’s “Capital of Immortals” [龍角仙都]

The Abbey Celebrating the Tang [ Qingtang guan 慶唐觀], a Daoist temple on Mount Longjiao in southern Shanxi Province, played a special role in the religious history of China in the Tang dynasty. Because of the myth that Laozi himself emerged from this mountain during the war to found the Tang state, this abbey was closely linked to the political legitimation of the Tang. Even plants in this abbey were regarded as the harbingers of the fate of the state. The emperor Xuanzong erected a huge stele in the Abbey Celebrating the Tang, demonstrating the support enjoyed from the royal house. Images of the six emperors, from Tang Gaozu to Xuanzong, were also held in the abbey. After the collapse of the Tang dynasty in 907, the Abbey Celebrating the Tang lost its political, legitimizing privileges, but its connection with the local community continued to develop well into the Song, Liao, Jin, and later dynasties. The creation and transformation of the Abbey Celebrating the Tang not only show the political influence of popular religion in ancient medieval China but also provide an interesting case of how a Daoist temple grew in popularity and prestige after it lost favor with the state

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Buddhism · China · Emperor · Guan · Humanities · Mount · Mythology · Politics · Prestige · Rivalry · Chinese history and philosophy · Classics · History · Japanese History and Culture · Law · Philosophy · Vietnamese History and Culture Studies

• Time after Time

  Stephen R Bokenkamp•Critical Readings on Tang China•2018

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