The Multidimensional Development of Daoism During the Wei-Jin Dynasties

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims to explore the multidimensional development of Daoism during the Wei-Jin Dynasties, casting light on the interactions between philosophical and religious Daoism, as well as their engagements with Confucianism and Buddhism. By bringing together scholarship from various disciplines, we seek to present a comprehensive portrait of Wei-Jin Daoism, highlighting its complexity, dynamism and enduring influence on Chinese culture.

The period of the Wei-Jin dynasties, spanning from the late Eastern Han to early Southern–Northern Dynasties, stands as a pivotal era in the evolution of Chinese thought, marking a profound transition that bridged the philosophical traditions of the Pre-Qin era and the religious innovations of subsequent dynasties. This was a time of social upheaval and intellectual ferment. During this period, Daoism underwent a remarkable transformation, expanding from an intellectual tradition into a multifaceted philosophical, religious and cultural system. Unlike the relatively unified philosophical discourse of the Han Dynasty, Daoism in this period branched into diverse streams, each with its own ideological underpinnings, practices and social roles.

During this period, philosophical Daoism experienced a renaissance that is alternatively referred to as Neo-Daoism or Xuanxue 玄学 Daoism. New interpretations of the classic Daoist texts, such as the Laozi, Zhuangzi and Liezi, were developed by distinguished thinkers, with Wang Bi (王弼, 226–49 CE), Guo Xiang (郭象, 252–312 CE), Zhi Daolin (支道林, 314–366 CE) and Zhang Zhan (張湛, fl. 4th century CE) as representative figures. And thereby arose the different lines of philosophical Daoism, such as the school of “Cherishing the Non-being” (guiwu 貴無), the school of “Self-driven Transformation” (duhua獨化), the school of “Utmost Emptiness” (zhixu 至虛), etc. These developments significantly expanded and deepened the ideas implied in Pre-Qin Daoism.

Parallel to the developments in philosophical Daoism, religious Daoism also flourished during this period. New schools and practices emerged successively, focusing on various aspects of religious Daoism, such as alchemy, immortality, official validation and classification projects for the Daoist scriptures. For example, Wei Boyang (魏伯陽, fl. 2nd century CE) established the fundamental theory of Elixir Daoism (dandao 丹道) in the late Eastern Han. Ge Hong (葛洪283–343 CE) systematized the theories of external alchemy (waidan 外丹) and immortality (xiandao 仙道) during the Eastern Jin. Kou Qianzhi (寇謙之, 365–448 CE) established Daoism as the state religion in the Northern Wei, marking a significant milestone in the history of religion. During the Liu Song Dynasty, Lu Xiujing (陸修靜, 406–477 CE) initiated the grand work of compiling and classifying the vast corpus of Daoist scriptures. These achievements have delineated the essential contours of religious Daoism, shaping its evolution for subsequent dynasties.

Most importantly, these multidimensional developments of Daoism during this period were carried out within an extremely sophisticated background, namely the unprecedented interactions, in both breadth and depth, among Daoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. At the beginning of this era, the syncretism of Confucianism and Daoism was regarded as the most important task for the thinkers. Afterward, with the continuous influx of various schools of Buddhist thought, both Confucianism and Daoism encountered the challenges aroused by Buddhism and thereby underwent essential changes. This unprecedented situation and its outcome constituted the basic setting of Chinese thought in the second millennium.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Interpretive Approaches to Classic Daoist Texts by such figures as Wang Bi, Guo Xiang, Zhang Zhan and Zhi Daolin in their commentaries on the Laozi, Zhuangzi and Liezi.
• Practical and Theoretical Contributions by figures such as Wei Boyang and Ge Hong to Elixir and Immortality Theories.
• Lu Xiujing’s Daoist Scriptures Classification System and Its Historical Influence.
• Kou Qianzhi’s Strategies for the Official Validation of Daoism and the political and religious strategies employed.
• Religious, Philosophical and Social Interactions among the many Daoist Schools.
• The Historical Context of the Syncretism of Three Teachings (Daoism, Confucianism and Buddhism) and the role of Daoism in the broader process of cultural exchange.
• Shishuo Xinyu (A New Account of Tales of the World) and the Integration of Neo-Daoist Metaphysics with the Aesthetics of qingtan.
• Daoist Poetics, Xuanyan Poetry, Landscape Literature and the utilization by Daoist poets of the notions of spontaneity (ziran) and emptiness (wu).
• Daoist Music, Liturgical Chanting and Ritual Soundscapes that facilitated states of spiritual transcendence.
• Material Culture, Fushi (Ingesting Mineral Powders) and Body Cultivation that explores the material practices of the elite and the medicalization of the Way of Immortality.
• Daoist Sacred Geography and Sacred Spaces that examines the retreat to sacred mountains, the codification of grotto-heavens (dongtian) and the spatial mapping of the transcendent realms.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor or to the Assistant Editor of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Thomas Michael
Prof. Dr. Xiangfei Bao
Dr. Linwei Wang
Dr. Jing Tan
Guest Editors

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• Wei-Jin Dynasties
• Xuanxue
• religious Daoism
• three teachings
• chinese intellectual history
• Daoist commentaries
• Waidan (external alchemy)
• comparative philosophy
• Daoist scriptures
• state–religion relations