Wang Chongyang | |
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王重阳 | |
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| Personal life | |
| Born | Wang Zhongfu (1113-01-11)11 January 1113 JingzhaoXianyang,Song Empire |
| Died | 22 January 1170(1170-01-22) (aged 57) |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Known for | Founder ofQuanzhen School |
| Other names | Wang Zhe |
| Religious life | |
| Religion | Taoism |
| School | Quanzhen School |
| Monastic name | Chongyang |
| Senior posting | |
| Successor | Ma Yu |
| Reason for exit | deceased |
| Wang Chongyang | |||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 王重陽 | ||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 王重阳 | ||||||||
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| Part ofa series on |
| Taoism |
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Wang Chongyang (11 January 1113 – 22 January 1170;Chinese calendar: 22nd day, 12th month, 2nd year, Zhenghe era in the reign ofEmperor Huizong of Song - 4th day, 1st month, 10th year, Dading era in the reign ofEmperor Shizong of Jin)[note 1] was a Chinese philosopher and poet. He was aTaoist master and one of the founders of theQuanzhen School in the 12th century during theJin dynasty (1115–1234). He was one of the Five Northern Patriarchs of Quanzhen. He also appears as a character in works ofwuxia fiction.
Wang 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 theJurchen-ledJin dynasty, which conquered northern China in theJin–Song Wars.[1] According to tradition, in the summer of 1159 when he was 48, he met three Taoist immortals in a tavern,Zhongli Quan,Lü Dongbin, andLiu Haichan. 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 andTan Chuduan). Wang built a tomb for himself nearMount Zhongnan,Guanzhong and called it "Tomb of the Living Dead". He lived in it for three years.
At the end of the three years, Wang 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's teachings were referred to the "Teachings of the Complete Perfection" (after the hut) and his branch of Taoism became known as theQuanzhen School.
In 1167, Wang burnt down the hut and travelled east toShandong, where he metMa Yu and Ma's wife,Sun Bu'er who would later became his disciples as well in 1169. In all, Wang accepted a total of seven disciples including Liu Chuxuan, Tan Chuduan, Wang Chuyi, Qiu Chuji and Hao Datong who later became known as "Seven Masters of Quanzhen" or "Seven Elders of Quanzhen". They are also called the "Seven Immortals" or "Seven Perfected Beings".
In October 1169, Wang led Ma and four other disciples back to Guanzhong. When they arrived at Wang's inn inKaifeng,Bianzhou, Wang Chongyang was exhausted and could not continue his journey westward. Prior to his death, he designated Ma as his successor to lead other disciples to expand the religion. On the fourth day of the first lunar month in 1170 (22 January 1170), Wang Chongyang died of natural causes with his head resting on his arm at the Wanshou Palace of Dachaoyuan in Bianliang at the age of 58. Ma temporarily buried Wang in a flower garden of local believers in Kaifeng. Two years later, he was reburied next to the old nunnery in Liujiang village, Mount Zhongnan, Guanzhong.
In 1187,Emperor Shizong of Jin summoned Wang'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 Chuyi at his deathbed.[1] Shizong's successor,Emperor Zhangzong, banned the teaching of Quanzhen Taoism. He considered them as heretical and causing detriment to society;[1]He converted to Quanzhen's teachings later and let Wang Chuyi stay in Yanjing (present-dayBeijing) for a year.[1] Shizong's grandsonWanyan Shou later wrote a biography for Wang Chongyang.[1]
He was immortalized in theLongmen Grottoes.
Wang was the author of many poems of Taoist instruction. According to legend, Liu Chuxuan became a follower of Wang after reading one of Wang's poems.
Wang's writings include:
The most notable ones among Wang's seven disciples wereSun Bu'er andQiu Chuji. Sun's husband, Ma Yu, was one of the seven, while she became an important role model for female Taoists. Ma Yu later succeeded Wang as the leader of the Quanzhen School.
Qiu Chuji gained the favour ofGenghis Khan and founded theWhite Cloud Monastery inBeijing. 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:
Wang Chongyang is mentioned by name in thewuxia novelsThe Legend of the Condor Heroes andThe Return of the Condor Heroes byJin Yong. He is already dead when the events in the first novel take place and the details of his life are revealed by other characters, such as his juniorZhou Botong. Wang Chongyang, who was nicknamed "Central Divine/Divine Apex" (中神通;zhōng shéntōng), emerged as one of the top five martial artists in thejianghu (martial artists' community) in his time after a martial arts contest onMount Hua. He also founded the martial arts school Quanzhen School, which is based on the real-lifeQuanzhen School. After his death, his seven apprentices succeed him and lead Quanzhen to become one of the major orthodox martial arts schools in thejianghu.
In the second novel, the protagonistsYang Guo andXiaolongnü discover more details about Wang Chongyang's life in the Ancient Tomb onMount Zhongnan, where the Quanzhen School is based. It is revealed that Wang Chongyang had a romantic relationship with Lin Chaoying, the founder of theAncient Tomb School, which Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo are members of. Wang Chongyang had lost to Lin Chaoying in a contest and had to keep his promise to hand over possession of the tomb and lead a monastic life as a Taoist for the rest of his life.
In themanhua seriesOriental Heroes by Hong Kong artistWong Yuk-long, Wang Chongyang is noted as the creator of the 'Nine Solar Art'.
