What historical stages did Taoism go through?

The first stage: pre-Qin Taoism represented by Laozi and Zhuangzi. At this stage, Taoism reached its peak from Laozi to Zhuangzi.

The second stage: the study of Huang Lao in the early Han Dynasty. The study of Huang Lao was first formed in Jixia Xuegong in the late Warring States period, and it was also a grand view in the early Han Dynasty and entered the golden age. Taoism appeared in the form of Huang Lao, and it also had its own characteristics in the early Han Dynasty.

The third stage: Taoism in the late Han Dynasty. The formation of Taoism at the end of Han Dynasty was a transformation of Taoism. In fact, the study of Huang Lao in the early Han Dynasty was only a short period. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty only respected Confucianism. After the introduction of Buddhism, China's ideology and culture took a great turn, and the appearance of Taoism in the late Han Dynasty was an epoch-making event. At the end of Han Dynasty, Taoism actually inherited some aspects of Taoist thought, religiousized Lao Zi and Huang Lao, and combined them with immortal immortality and folk witchcraft. At the same time, under the cultural background of Han dynasty, Taoism also developed to a certain extent with the help of Taoism.

The fourth stage: metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties. Metaphysics is actually the integration of Confucianism and the study of Laozi and Zhuangzi. San Xuan refers to Laozi, Zhuangzi and Zhouyi. Laozi and Zhuangzi are Taoist classics, and Zhouyi is called the first of the Five Confucian Classics. The representatives of metaphysics, such as Yan He, Wang Bi, Ruan Ji, Ji Kang, Xiang Embroidery and Guo Xiang, are all followers of Lao Zi and Guo Xiang. The difference is that Wang He admired Lao Zi and Guo Zhuangzi, while Ruan Ji enjoyed the Taoist temperament of Lao Zi and Zhuangzi.

After metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties, the development of Taoism is still inseparable, and there are still so-called neo-Taoists in contemporary times. However, compared with Wei Taoism in the pre-Qin and Han dynasties, there is neither a big Taoist representative nor an influential Taoist school. Of course, the spirit of Taoism still exists, and there are many people who sort out and annotate Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi's books.