Wang Chongyang

Wang Chongyang (11 January 1113 – 22 January 1170; Chinese calendar: 22nd day, 12th month, 2nd year, Zhenghe era in the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song - 4th day, 1st month, 10th year, Dading era in the reign of Emperor Shizong of Jin) was a Chinese philosopher and poet. He was a Taoist master and one of the founders of the Quanzhen School in the 12th century during the Jin dynasty (1115–1234). He was one of the Five Northern Patriarchs of Quanzhen. He also appears as a character in works of wuxia 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 the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty, which conquered northern China in the Jin–Song Wars. According to tradition, in the summer of 1159 when he was 48, he met three Taoist immortals in a tavern, Zhongli Quan, Lü Dongbin, and Liu 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 and Tan Chuduan). Wang built a tomb for himself near Mount 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 the Quanzhen School.

In 1167, Wang burnt down the hut and travelled east to Shandong, where he met Ma 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 in Kaifeng, 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. Shizong's successor, Emperor Zhangzong, banned the teaching of Quanzhen Taoism. He considered them as heretical and causing detriment to society;He converted to Quanzhen's teachings later and let Wang Chuyi stay in Yanjing (present-day Beijing) for a year. Shizong's grandson Wanyan Shou later wrote a biography for Wang Chongyang.