Taoism in Sui and Tang Dynasties: A Period of Taoist Prosperity

During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Taoism entered its heyday for the following reasons: 1. Strong flavor of the times. The early Tang Dynasty and the prosperous Tang Dynasty were romantic, romantic and confident times that China never had in ancient times. People swept away the chaotic and depressed political atmosphere since Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and their mood was cheerful and enthusiasm was high. In this era atmosphere, Taoism actively caters to people's attachment to earthly life and secular happiness. Taoism takes life as its joy, longevity as its joy and longevity as its blessing, which satisfies people's instinctive demand for pleasure.

2. The support of the rulers. The emperor of the Tang Dynasty was surnamed Li. In order to please Li Yuan and Li Shimin, Taoist priests fabricated various myths to create public opinion long before they ascended the throne, while Li Yuan and others supported the development of Taoism in order to myth their own destiny characteristics. Therefore, Taoism has entered all aspects of social life with the help of political power.

3. Scholar-officials' pursuit of Taoism. The religious charm of Taoism has attracted the attention of many scholars and intellectuals, because they are extremely eager for immortal life, such as the four outstanding figures in the early Tang Dynasty, Lu, and later Meng Haoran. One of the most persistent is Li Bai, once a Taoist priest, who insisted on learning and dreamed of becoming an immortal.

The prosperity of Taoism in Sui and Tang Dynasties was manifested in many aspects. In addition to the increase of Taoism and believers, its influence on social life has also expanded. One of the manifestations is the policy of worshipping Taoism adopted by the emperor. Although the Sui Dynasty paid more attention to Buddhism, it was also a policy to foster Taoism, and the Tang Dynasty continued this policy in the Sui Dynasty, hoping to use the surname relationship between Taoist Laozi and Lee to make the Tang royal family a descendant of immortals and deify their rule, thus raising the royal family. When I arrived in Li Zhi and Tang Gaozong, I was named the Emperor's Father Xuanyuan, which started the first time that I was chased. During Xuanzong period, Taoism entered a prosperous situation. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty ordered the construction of Xuanyuan Temple in the whole country to worship Laozi. Strive to improve the social status of Taoist priests; Establish a system of observing Taoist festivals in all countries of the world; In order to compose music for Zhan Mu, he ordered Sima to compose Daoqu, Hui Yuan to compose Tianqu, and He Zi Qing Shang Sheng Daoqu. He himself compiled Wei Zi Bagua Dance, Calling Fairy Songs and Wei Zi Sending Fairy Songs.

The second manifestation is the rise of alchemy. Since Ge Hong talked about alchemy, many Taoist priests believed in alchemy, but some people were skeptical, because the refined Dan medicine often died after being taken by people. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, many Taoist priests made use of the emperor's illusion of immortality and re-used the theory of Zhouyi's meditation. Dan medicine is actually a mixture of lead and mercury, which is very harmful to human body. However, even if it is harmful, emperors of past dynasties have constantly promoted the refining of Dan medicine in order to live a long life, making Taoist activities flourish. For example, in his later years, Emperor Taizong was very interested in refining Dan medicine, and it was not limited to alchemists in China, but also believed in foreign countries. According to Zhao Yi in Qing Dynasty, another example is that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty recruited Zhang into the palace to marry his daughter. Although the elixir is a scam, alchemy is the early chemistry in China, because people have accumulated a lot of chemical knowledge in the process of refining these chemicals. For example, in the application of sulfur, they accidentally discovered the nature of violent combustion, which led to the understanding of gunpowder. At the same time, in the process of alchemy, in order to control the toxicity of Dan medicine, alchemists studied various methods, which also revealed some mysteries of medicine on the other hand. In addition to being an alchemist, Sun Simiao became a famous medical expert.