《玄天上帝启圣灵异录》

A Record of the Miraculous Manifestations at the Founding of the Zhenwu Temple in the Yuan Dynasty

Composed by Xu Shilong, Hanlin Academician Reader-in-Waiting and concurrently Vice Minister of Revenue

In the tenth year after the emperor’s accession, a new capital was being built in the region of Yan (the area of present-day Beijing). As the capital neared completion, on the gengyin day of the twelfth month of that winter, a divine snake appeared in the Gaoliang River west of the city. Its whole body was blue-green, and golden light flashed upon its head. All who gathered to watch were astonished. After the people burned incense and offered prayers, the snake wound its way forward, came to the place where the sacrificial offerings had been set out, and then departed. On the following day, the xinmao day, a numinous tortoise also emerged and swam about. Golden markings patterned its back, and a brilliant auspicious radiance shone as it circled in the water for a long time.

It was then the depth of winter, when all things lie closed away in storage. Tortoises and snakes ought to have remained hidden and still, yet they appeared in this season and were clearly regarded as divine and extraordinary beings. When word of the matter reached the palace, the empress sent eunuchs to inquire among the people, and all held that this was a manifestation of the god Xuanwu (the deity of the north venerated in Daoism, who commonly reveals himself in the form of a tortoise and a snake). The emperor therefore issued an edict ordering that, on the jiaxu day of the second month of the following year, a shrine be built at the place where the divine snake and the numinous tortoise had appeared, so as to make manifest the verified response of the deity.

A careful examination of what is recorded in the Wenyao Gou shows that the Black Emperor of the north, whose Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) were transformed into Xuanwu, is the divinity who governs the north. Our state takes the north as the foundation upon which it was established, and the De (Virtue/Power) of Water flourishes. Now the emperor surveys the four quarters, founds the realm, and establishes the capital, precisely when the phase of Water is at its height, and the deity descends at this very moment. This may portend that the fortune of the state will long remain prosperous, that the sacred mandate will continue without end, and that a foundation of peace for ten thousand generations will be laid.

Ah, the temple has been completed, and sacrifice to the deity begins from this time. May wind and rain henceforth come in their proper seasons, and may every year bring an abundant harvest, so that the people may live in benevolence, peace, and joy, in long life and tranquil health. This is precisely the intention of the empress of our dynasty in assisting the sagely and enlightened Son of Heaven and in reverently serving the divinities. I, Xu Shilong, hold a civil office and have been able to witness this auspicious omen with my own eyes; I respectfully record the course of these events.

The second month of the seventh year of Zhiyuan.

Stele on the Founding of the Zhaoying Palace in the Yuan Dynasty

The state arose in the northern lands and, by force of arms, pacified the realm. Sage and enlightened sovereigns of successive generations inherited the line one after another. Of the lands of the four quarters, far and near, there were none that did not submit and offer allegiance.

The present emperor received the Mandate of Heaven and succeeded to the imperial throne. The court examined the statutes and institutions, and thereby gave substance to the great enterprise of the state; it built the ancestral temples, set rites and music in order, and established the system of offices, so that ceremonial institutions and the bearing of culture were made wholly new. Only the palaces were not yet complete, and the ministers requested that the capital be fixed in the region of Yan. The emperor adopted this proposal and, in the third year of Zhiyuan, built a new capital to the north of the old city.

Six years later, on the gengyin day of the twelfth month, a snake appeared in the Jinshui River south of the Gaoliang River, west of the city. It was more than one chi in length, with a golden radiance flashing upon its head and blue-green markings along its back. Those who saw it thought it extraordinary, and they burned incense to welcome it and bowed in reverence. The snake tamely drew near the crowd, stretched out its neck to look toward the streets, then coiled and wound about, sniffing the fragrance, and only after a long while departed. The next day a divine turtle also appeared, its body patterned in black and its shell green, swimming through the bends along the bank as if it had shown itself on purpose to manifest a spiritual wonder.

All held that the turtle and the snake are important symbols of the workings of Heaven and Earth. It was the depth of winter, when every kind of scaly and shelled creature ought to lie dormant and hidden; that they now appeared one after another must have had a special cause. Yudie Chibuhua of the Taifu Directorate, acting on the orders of the palace eunuchs, was supervising construction in the western suburbs and happened to witness these anomalies. He therefore entered the palace and reported them to the empress. The empress consulted learned ministers, and the ministers replied that this was a manifestation of the deity Xuanwu (the northern divinity venerated in Daoism, the teaching of the Dao (the Way), often appearing in the combined form of a turtle and a snake).

The empress then brought out treasures from the palace and built a shrine at the place where the spirit had appeared. She specially dispatched Yudie Chibuhua to oversee the work, and ordered Duan Tianyou, Minister of Works, to assemble artisans and master craftsmen, draw up plans, and submit them. The emperor said: “The spirit is able to shelter the people unseen; how can we fail to offer sacrifice with due solemnity, so as to repay the spirit’s protection?” He thereupon issued an edict to enlarge the shrine. When the halls were completed, he bestowed the name Zhaoying and ordered literary officials to compose a text to be carved on a stone stele.

Your servant Xu Shilong respectfully notes: Zhang Heng of the Han dynasty wrote in the “Rhapsody on Contemplating the Mysterious,” “Xuanwu draws itself within its shell; the soaring snake winds and moves aslant.” The snake belongs to the category of Yang and corresponds above to the Dao of Heaven; the turtle is of dark color and belongs to the category of Yin, corresponding below to the earth. Only when Yin-Yang join and are brought into harmony does the spiritual response appear.

The present emperor’s sagely De (Virtue/Power) and divine achievement reach upward to Heaven and Earth and downward to all the people. He keeps his stratagems deeply concealed and is skilled at seizing the moment and turning the situation about; he governs the state with diligence and examines names against realities, scrutinizing the business of government as did Emperor Xuan of Han; in establishing institutions and transforming customs, he has the bearing of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei. As for loving the people as his own children, treating worthy men with ritual courtesy, setting himself aside to follow others, and, with gentle words and countenance, treating his ministers generously and leading them to speak frankly in remonstrance—in these respects he even surpasses Emperor Taizong of Tang. Added to this, he has throughout revered the gods and spirits with unremitting respect. Therefore Heaven has sent down spiritual wonders to make manifest his De and to further the flourishing of the state. Is this not a great matter?

Your servant Xu Shilong bows in reverence and offers this inscription:

Xuanwu is a constellation of heaven, the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) of the Black Emperor. Its appearing bears a sign, and the auspicious omen it foretells will be fulfilled. This portent embodies the sovereign’s excellent De and its fragrance.

The emperor said: “Ah, the spirit descends, bestowing blessing and protection. If there were no halls and courtyards, how could offerings be presented at the proper times and sacrifice be performed?” Lofty halls were therefore raised, beams and pillars set high, and deep, quiet gate-halls built, so that the spirit might dwell in peace. Here is enshrined the divinity that symbolizes the De of Water: the color of water is like gold, and the isles are like jade. The spirit descends to this place, making the imperial capital still more magnificent, protecting the Son of Heaven in prosperity for ten thousand years, with auspiciousness extending without end.

In the ninth month of the seventh year of Zhiyuan in the Yuan dynasty.

Stele on the Founding of Zhaoying Palace in the Yuan Dynasty

Composed by imperial command by Wang Mi, Hanlin Academician, Drafter of Edicts, and concurrently Compiler of the National History.

When a sage and enlightened sovereign rules the realm, he invariably relies on the power of the spirits to carry forward moral instruction. After the emperor ascended the throne, he honored and revered the gods, and every sacrifice was duly provided for. Empress Wuwen personally directed the affairs of the palace; her De (Virtue) matched the emperor’s. Whatever might secretly assist the spirits, or establish and exalt sacrificial rites, she attended to with wholehearted care.

According to the record of events submitted by the responsible officials: in the sixth year of Zhiyuan, construction of the capital began. The empress issued an order to the Court of the Imperial Treasury to survey a vacant tract in Gaolianghe Township in the western suburbs and settle there the newly submitted people. Once the houses were built, streets and markets gradually took shape.

On the nineteenth day of the last month of winter, the day gengyin, people sacrificed to the water spirit beside the Jinshui River. It was the depth of winter; insects lay hidden, and animals were curled in rest. Suddenly an auspicious radiance shone forth, coming along the surface of the water from the west. The crowd went forward to look and found a snake about one chi long, with azure markings on its back and a golden head. Seeing that it was extraordinary, they gathered in astonishment to watch.

Yudie Chibuhua of the Court of the Imperial Treasury led his subordinates in burning incense and kneeling in reverence, and received it upon a platter. The snake wound its way onto the platter, stretched out its neck, and looked about, as if drinking and partaking of the offerings; after a while it departed. The next day a divine turtle rose to the surface, its back bearing mysterious patterns in which gold and jade-green flashed by turns. It swam back and forth on the water, holding its head toward the bank for a long time. All who watched marveled, saying they had never seen such a sight.

Yudie Chibuhua reported the matter to the empress. The empress sent to inquire of learned ministers. The ministers replied: “The turtle and the snake are the essences of the Black Emperor (Heidi), the water deity of the north. The last month of winter is precisely when the Qi (vital energy) of water is at its height. That such an omen should appear in this month may well be a manifestation of Xuanwu, the northern divinity formed of turtle and snake. The state rose in the north; now that it has unified the realm and the capital has just been completed, the auspicious sign has come here. Though the intent of the spirits is unspoken, it is revealed through corresponding forms, and this is already perfectly clear.”

Thereupon the empress brought forth articles supplied by the palace and ordered Yudie Chibuhua to build a temple where the turtle and snake had been seen, so that incense might be offered there. She further ordered Duan Tianyou, Minister of Works, to plan it with him, and assigned laborers to the work. When the halls were completed, the emperor bestowed the name Zhaoying Palace (Palace of Manifest Response). Its gates were broad and lofty, its halls deep and solemn; ridges and flying eaves spread high, and gilded ornament blazed in the sun. It became a magnificent structure near the capital.

In former times, when the Zhou arose, Tairen, mother of King Wen, and Taisi, his wife, were renowned for their virtue, so that a spirit of reverence and harmony took form throughout the realm. Omens such as the zouyu and the linzhi then appeared, recorded in the poems and sung in the world. Now the empress’s virtue may be compared with that of Tairen and Taisi, and her moral instruction matches that of the Western Zhou. Hence the divine turtle and the numinous snake have appeared, just as the omens of the zouyu and the linzhi did—signs that answer one another across different ages.

Ah—the wise foresee great matters from what is slight, and on seeing a thing grasp the principle within it. The empress’s insight is far-reaching and her thought exact; she can discern the portents of things beforehand. She brought forth gold and silk and raised the palace not for leisure, nor for sightseeing, but to make manifest the gracious response of the spirits, to pray that the fortune of the state might flourish, and to assist the sage Son of Heaven in his intent to promote moral instruction by means of the way of the spirits.

Your servant Wang Mi has set this matter down in the stele text. He respectfully performs the rite of obeisance and composes the inscription:

Virtue moves and reaches the spirits;

the divinities come and go without fixed place.

Why have the auspicious omens appeared?

To make manifest the sage and enlightened sovereign.

When did the auspicious omens appear?

In the last month of winter.

The numinous snake came winding forth;

the divine turtle rose upon the water.

The wise divined from this,

and judged them the essences of the Black Emperor.

May the imperial house be secure,

and all under heaven at peace.

The halls stand beside the river,

raised by the empress’s command.

May the Son of Heaven endure ten thousand years,

forever enjoying the blessing bestowed by Heaven.

The Son of Heaven is sage and enlightened;

the empress assists with able strength.

May all quarters of the realm

hear and follow this instruction.

In the ninth month of the seventh year of Zhiyuan of the Yuan dynasty (1270).

Stele Bestowed by the Emperor for the “Great Tianyi Zhenqing Wanshou Palace” on Wudang Mountain

Composed by imperial command by Cheng Jufu, Hanlin Academician, Drafter of Edicts, and concurrently Compiler of the National History.

In the third month of spring of the first year of Huangqing (1312), no rain fell in the capital. The court prayed to the deities everywhere, yet still no rain came, and so an edict summoned the Wudang Daoist priest Zhang Shouqing to pray for rain. After his prayer, rain did indeed fall. The following spring there was drought again; after prayer, rain fell. In summer there was drought once more; rain was prayed for again, and again rain fell. The rainfall was ample, and autumn too brought a rich harvest. Within the palace there was great rejoicing.

Between Junzhou and Fangzhou stands a mountain called Taihe Mountain, also known as Xianshi Mountain. Tradition says that the deity Xuanwu dwells there, and so it received the name “Wudang.” The mountains stretch for eight hundred li and contain seventy-two peaks. The highest is Zixiao Peak, and the finest scenery is at Nanyan. Before Nanyan are two grotto-heavens, called the Heaven of Tai’an Huangya and the Heaven of Xianding Jifeng. Above, they meet the drifting clouds; below, they overlook deep ravines. Wild birds cry and jackals and tigers come and go, and the ground where a person can set foot is no more than a few feet wide.

Daoist tradition tells that, during the Longhan era, the Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) of the Xu and Wei lunar lodges descended and were born as a human being. He cultivated the Dao (the Way) on this mountain and attained completion, then mounted a dragon and ascended, and thus became the deity Xuanwu. By the Zhenguan era of the Tang, the miraculous deeds of the deity Xuanwu became still more manifest, and people throughout the realm honored him with sacrifice. In the time of Emperor Lizong of the Song, the court ordered the Daoist priest Perfected Liu to build a palace-temple at Nanyan, but it was never completed.

The extraordinary man Lu Dayou of Handong once lived here in seclusion. Each day he wore coarse cloth and ate coarse food, cultivating in the mountains for more than forty years. He relieved disaster and distress, and could foresee fortune and misfortune, so the people of his time regarded him as a divine man. Later he followed the army into the Xiang-Han region, crossed the river in search of Quanzhen (Complete Perfection), went west beyond Wolong, and north across the Yin Mountains. In the twelfth year of Zhiyuan (1275) he returned to Wudang Mountain and, together with the Daoist priest Wang Zhenchang and others, restored the Five Dragons Palace, Zixiao Palace, and the altar grounds, while he himself lived alone in a thatched hut at Nanyan. When someone asked him to build a palace-temple, he said, “This is not something you can accomplish. That person is about to come.”

In the ninth month of autumn of the twenty-first year of Zhiyuan (1284), Zhang Shouqing came from Xiazhou to Wudang Mountain. He was then thirty-one and wished to take Lu Dayou as his teacher. Lu Dayou said gladly, “I have waited for you a long time,” and at once transmitted to him the essentials of cultivating the Dao. In the first month of spring of the following year, Lu Dayou passed into immortality. Zhang Shouqing personally conducted the funeral. He then opened the mountain and abstained from grain, planting millet for food, and led his followers in clearing the plants that choked the mountain paths, driving off birds and beasts, and opening the roads: seventy li from Jiaokou at the foot of the mountain to Zixiao Palace, and five li from Zixiao Palace to Nanyan; from Nanyan northward and downward thirty li to the Five Dragons Palace, then forty li more to Haokou at the foot of the mountain.

Each year on the third day of the third month, traditionally the day when the deity Xuanwu descends, men and women come in the tens of thousands, and the gold and silk they offer gather like clouds. Zhang Shouqing then built palace-temples according to the terrain, raising buildings across deep valleys, cutting roads through precipitous places, leveling the cliffs, and constructing halls against the rock face. Within were broad great halls and courtyards, lofty chambers and towers, together with kitchens, storehouses, and dwellings, all fully provided. The halls were brilliantly painted, their roof ridges rose into the clouds, the sacred images were solemn, and the bells and drums resounded; the paths were paved with stone and shaded along the way by fir and pine. The cost was immense, and more than twenty years passed before the work was finished. Thereafter several hundred qing of fields were opened, and the Daoist community supported there reached ten thousand.

In the third year of Zhida (1310), the present emperor and the Empress Dowager Ciren Zhaoyi Shouyuan, hearing that Zhang Shouqing had succeeded in cultivating the Dao, sent envoys to hold a Golden Register Zhaijiao (purification ritual) in the palace, and also summoned him to court. Whenever rain was prayed for, the prayer was answered. The court bestowed the palace name “Tianyi Zhenqing Wanshou Palace,” and ordered him to preside over the palace-temple according to the system of transmission. It further enfeoffed the father of the deity Xuanwu as “Heavenly Lord Who Opens the Origin and Magnifies Blessing, Great Emperor of Luminous Perfection,” and his mother as “Heavenly Empress of Compassionate Peace and Jade Virtue, Supreme Immortal of Jasper Perfection,” and granted Zhang Shouqing the title “Perfected of Great Harmony Who Embodies the Mysterious and Responds Marvelously.”

In the second month of spring of the first year of Yanyou (1314), Luo Yuan, Grand Minister of Education, by command of the Empress Dowager, prepared horses, incense, and gifts and returned to Wudang Mountain to offer sacrifice. In the tenth month of winter of the same year, Chen Hao, Grand Academician of the Academy of Scholarly Worthies, memorialized requesting that a further palace name be bestowed, fixing it as the “Great Tianyi Zhenqing Wanshou Palace.” The court ordered Liu Geng, Hanlin Academician Recipient of Edicts, to write the palace name; ordered Cheng Jufu, Hanlin Recipient of Edicts, to compose the stele inscription; ordered Zhao Mengfu, Academician of the Academy of Scholarly Worthies, to write out the inscription; and ordered Alihaiya, Assistant Grand Councilor of the Central Secretariat, to write the stele heading in seal script.

Your servant Cheng Jufu holds that the sage Son of Heaven follows the Dao of clarity and stillness, and personally carries out moral transformation with robes hanging loose and hands folded in repose. He reveres Heaven and Earth, pacifies the hundred spirits, nurtures the myriad things and the people, is diligent in affairs of state, and longs for peace throughout the realm. Truly one may say that his De (Virtue/Power) is profound. Zhang Shouqing takes the methods of the Dao as his charge, reviving the Daoist teaching and nourishing De, devoting himself to arduous cultivation, and striving to raise palace-temples so as to receive the blessings bestowed by Heaven. He too may be called a man of outstanding character. His nature is clear-minded and decisive, upright and grave, yet plain and sincere. Even when he conducts a major sacrifice, he need not specially bathe and change his clothes, and whatever he prays for always meets with a response. Although he has received the favor of the eminent and noble, he remains as he was when he first entered the mountain. This, surely, is what it means to be a person who possesses the Dao.

As for the merit and De of the deity Xuanwu, they are vast and far-reaching, hard to fathom, and his transformations follow no fixed pattern. To say that this is merely hearsay of old events would, I fear, fail to convince. Your servant Cheng Jufu respectfully bows and offers a poem, as follows:

Wudang Mountain lies in the region of Junzhou, wreathed in white clouds, its slopes rising high. The ranges stretch far, and the terrain is deep, remote, and secluded; when people say that this is a place where divine spirits dwell, it is truly not without foundation. I respectfully, in my capacity as a subject, perform the rites and bow in obeisance, offering a poem:

Wudang Mountain lies in the region of Junzhou, wreathed in white clouds, its slopes rising high. The roots of the mountain extend for a thousand li, and the mountain paths are perilous and hard to travel; seventy-two peaks stand arrayed, as if half-hidden amid mist and smoke.

The Lord on High dispatched Xuanwu (the northern deity venerated in Daoism) to drive out evil spirits. Xuanwu wears his hair unbound, bears a long sword, and is clad in a dark robe. The two generals, the Turtle and the Snake, are mighty yet serene; they come riding the clouds and depart driving the wind.

Looking upward, the mountain is so high and distant that it seems impossible to climb. The Zhenren (those who have attained the Dao, the Way) who cultivate the Dao practice with arduous diligence, overcoming hardship and peril, soaring to peaks of a thousand ren, clearing away the tangled thorns, turning the celestial pivot (the hub of Heaven), and opening the gate of Heaven.

Jade towers and jeweled halls encircle the verdant scenery; rosy light spreads over them, clouds and mist wind about, and they gleam with golden radiance. The emperor bestows his favor and a grand edict; the deities descend to this place, and their pendant jades strike together with a clear, ringing sound.

Cold pines rustle in the wind, and flowing water murmurs; fragrance fills the air, sweet as the orchid. May the deities long take pity on the sufferings of the people, sweep away filth and evil, and spare people from calamity.

May our emperor live ten thousand years and rule all under Heaven; may his sagely brilliance flourish, and may his countenance long endure.

The third month of the second year of Yanyou.

Edict of Additional Enfeoffment of the Yuan Dynasty

By the command of Heaven above, the emperor proclaims: We have heard that there is a venerable deity, namely the Dark Emperor (Xuandi). He manifests auspicious signs in the great realm and cultivates the Dao upon a renowned mountain; guarding the north, he opens auspicious fortune for the flourishing of the imperial house. His awesome power extends throughout the world, sweeping away the qi (vital energy) of demons and deviance in every region. Since the Dark Emperor has already manifested pure and excellent blessings, it is fitting to honor and elevate his Holy Father.

Heaven and Earth contain all that exists and thereby harmonize the primordial qi of the myriad things; felicitous blessing continues within the true source and thereby secures welfare for ten thousand years. We therefore specially confer an additional honorific title, in gratitude for his manifest divine favor: the Holy Father, Heavenly Lord of Pure Joy and Great Emperor of Luminous Perfection, may be further enfeoffed as “Heavenly Lord Who Opens the Origin and Exalts Felicity, Great Emperor of Luminous Perfection.” The offices concerned shall carry this out accordingly.

The ninth month of the first year of Yanyou.

Heaven, in its gracious regard, has sent down its decree, and the emperor, receiving that decree, proclaims:

In former times a supreme immortal was born into the world. The wondrous efficacy manifested through the single Qi (vital energy)—the primordial breath of which Daoism speaks—of the Dark Emperor (Xuan Di, Xuantian Shangdi, the Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven) is beyond words, and all the people of the world revere his divine might. He looks down upon heaven and earth as though he were ever at our side; the auspicious radiance shines like the sun, truly brilliant and resplendent, enduring without end.

We have now come upon a fortunate and flourishing age. The rite of investiture having already been performed, the honorific title should be inscribed in the patent registers. We hereby confer an additional title upon the maternal exemplar, so that her grace may stand out all the more and correspond to the enduring dignity of the paternal way; the sacred person of the Holy Emperor likewise depends upon his mother’s protection. May the virtue of loving-kindness and benevolence spread over the whole world, so that the imperial enterprise may flourish still further and blessings and emoluments continue without cease.

The Holy Mother, the Celestial Empress of Excellent Victory, the Supreme Immortal of Jasper Perfection (Shengmu Shansheng Tianhou Qiongzhen Shangxian), is hereby additionally enfeoffed as “the Celestial Empress of Compassionate Serenity and Jade Virtue, the Supreme Immortal of Jasper Perfection” (Cining Yude Tianhou Qiongzhen Shangxian). The officials concerned shall comply and carry this out.

The ninth month of the first year of Yanyou.

Heaven, looking with favor, has conferred its mandate upon the emperor, and the emperor issues this imperial edict: The blessed land of Mount Wudang has long been under the administration of the Zhifang (the office in charge of the geography of the realm). The spiritual efficacy of the Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven is conspicuous, and a ceremony of reverent enfeoffment ought to be held. It is respectfully stated that the Great Emperor Zhenwu formerly protected the preceding dynasty; at the Palace of Men and Horses of the established capital, the auspicious omen of the tortoise and the snake once appeared. Although the court has already offered sacrifice in response to his proven efficacy, it has not yet used a noble title to make manifest the immortal source from which he comes. The Fengchang (the officials in charge of rites and sacrifice) were therefore ordered to deliberate and to perform a ceremony of commendation.

What is called “Yuan” is the foremost of all excellences. His holy virtue accords with the primordial Dao (the Way) of Heaven and Earth. The sage, taking this as his pattern, transforms and nurtures the myriad things in ways subtle and unfathomable; his merit may be set beside that of the three sages. He brings relief to the people, and his benevolence reaches in every direction. All under Heaven is clear and well ordered, the fortune of the state flourishes, and his majestic power is displayed. A noble title is now fixed for him and imperial favor is proclaimed, wholly worthy of his De (Virtue/Power). Ah! The lord of the Heavenly Dao is called “Emperor.” These four characters of the honorific title are bestowed, that he may guard the mountains and rivers. The sovereign receives the mandate of Heaven, and thereby the ancestral temple and the altars of soil and grain remain at peace for ten thousand years. May abundant blessings descend and shelter the territory of our realm. He is specially granted the additional title “Supreme Emperor of Primordial Sageliness and Benevolent Majesty of the Dark Heaven” (Xuantian Yuansheng Renwei Shangdi). The responsible officials shall carry this out accordingly.

On a certain day in the third month of the eighth year of Dade.

Heaven, looking with favor, has conferred its mandate upon the emperor, and the emperor issues this imperial edict: In governing the state, the guiding principles of imperial authority must be established, so that rain and clear weather come at the proper times. To revere the bright spirits and to dispel the distress of drought accords with the mutual response of Heaven and humanity and with one and the same principle. You, this spirit of the waters, take your origin in what the Daoist tradition teaches, and are illustriously known by the name “Axis of the Earth,” able to assist the ministers who govern the localities on my behalf. You are mindful of farming and take pity on the people as they long for rain, so that the harvest of the year comes to fruition in good order. Your divine spirit is manifest and majestic; truly there is no deity that ought not to receive cult. The court follows the practice of the former kings, acts according to the needs of the people, and continues to care for the common folk. You are now enfeoffed as “General of Spiritual Succor” (Lingji Jiangjun). The responsible officials shall carry this out accordingly.

On a certain day in the twelfth month of the second year of Taiding.

The original text contains repeated passages and characters that appear to be corrupt; the foregoing has been arranged according to what can be discerned.

Heaven looks down with favor and bestows the Mandate of Heaven upon the emperor. The emperor issues an edict, saying: Although sacrifice to the spirits of Heaven and Earth follows no fixed ritual code, when disaster and drought arise there have from ancient times been corresponding rites and rules; this is one of the statutes observed through successive ages.

You, god of fire, arise from Daoist lore and have thereby received the name “Tianguan” (Heavenly Pass), and you are able to assist the ministers who guard my territory. You take thought for farming and pity the people in their drought, so that the crops may ripen in due season. Your divine might is illustrious; the wholesome working of the two Qi (vital energy) of Yin-Yang can likewise respond to the utmost sincerity of human beings. Since the hundred spirits each have their proper charge, they should be honored according to their merits. You are now enfeoffed as General of Numinous Radiance (Lingyao Jiangjun). Let the offices concerned carry this out accordingly.

A certain day in the twelfth month of the second year of Taiding.

Favored by Heaven and entrusted with its mandate, the emperor issues this sacred edict:

We admire those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) and respect the fangshi who have attained the Dao. Their bodily form and Shen (spirit) are both wondrous, and they live in seclusion amid mountains and forests. Their Jing (essence) and Qi (vital energy) are pure and abundant, so that they can raise clouds and bring rain. The noble conduct of such persons is indeed rarely met with in the world. To honor them, We specially confer the title Ningzhen Lingmiao Baohe Fashi, “Ritual Master Who Condenses the True, Is Numinously Subtle, and Preserves Harmony.”

Zhang Shouqing, abbot of the Tianyi Zhenqing Wanshou Palace on Mount Wudang and the one charged with the palace’s affairs, studies the learning of Laozi and venerates the Dark Emperor, Xuandi, that is, Xuantian Shangdi. He ascended peaks of ten thousand ren and raised a temple complex of grand scale. Although ghosts and spirits assisted in the work of building, his own De (Virtue/Power) and ability were enough to win belief. The turtle and the snake often joined and showed their forms, and wolves and tigers likewise fled and gave way. His resolve was pure and steadfast, and the mysterious teaching grew all the more manifest.

Disciples who came to hear him expound the Dao and to bow before him numbered nearly four thousand, while visitors from other regions arrived in an unbroken stream, and this continued for nearly thirty years. Ministers close to the throne once praised him, and the empress dowager once summoned him. Of late there have been repeated great droughts, and the people of the realm have faced disaster. He prayed to Heaven with a sincere heart and at last welcomed sweet rain. Since this merit has benefited all things, it is fitting that he himself receive a special honor.

We now bestow upon him the title Tixuan Miaoying Taihe Zhenren, “Perfected One Who Embodies the Mysterious, Responds with Subtle Efficacy, and Attains Great Harmony,” and commend him with praise. The Zhenqing Palace is an important numinous shrine of the south, while Xuanwu, deity of the north, presides over the royal Qi of the north. May he pray with all his heart, protect the imperial house, and bring fortune and emolument. Let this be reverently received, and Our intent must be carried out. This title is specially granted to Zhang Shouqing.

Tenth month of the first year of Yanyou.

Preface to the Qisheng Jiaqing Diagram

Xuantian, the Dark Heaven, secures the north by the De of Water. Whoever rules a state should revere the Taihe Zhenren. Zhang Shouqing is commanded to act in accordance with this edict.

Tenth month of the first year of Yanyou.

Preface to the Qisheng Jiaqing Diagram

The Supreme Emperor of Mysterious Heaven (Xuantian Shangdi), also known as Xuanwu, god of the north, guards the northern quarter by the De (Virtue/Power) of Water, and lands and states everywhere have received his profound protection. Among the places where he has manifested his power, Wudang Mountain stands out above all. His merit in making the Mandate of Heaven resplendent and in sheltering and nurturing the myriad things has been exceedingly evident from ancient times to the present, and cannot be told in full by a few writings that record his sacred traces.

When the Yuan dynasty arose, the royal house rose from the north, and its cycle of De corresponded to the Water De of Xuantian Shangdi; the will of Heaven and the hearts of the people were in accord. Thus, in the early stage of pacifying the realm and establishing its achievements, in the depth of a severe winter when ice sealed the world, there appeared “Jinshui” (the auspicious prodigy referred to in the text). This auspicious sign was regarded as a numinous and efficacious portent of the state’s flourishing. Earlier records seem to contain no comparable case, yet at the time no one had set it down in writing.

Zhang Dongyuan, superintendent of Zhenqing Palace (Palace of True Felicity) on Wudang Mountain, taking this Jinshui prodigy as his occasion, traced the former numinous traces of Xuantian Shangdi and compiled them as the Jiaqing tu (Pictures of Auspicious Blessing). He supplied the pictures with text and had them engraved for circulation, intending to celebrate the grand achievements of the dynasty and make their sacred radiance manifest. Pictures cannot depict every matter, and not every matter is sure to be handed down; yet this work records the signs of where the Mandate of Heaven came to rest, so that the standing of Xuantian Shangdi matches the flourishing of the dynasty. The circulation of the Jiaqing tu is therefore not a blessing for the Daoist tradition alone.

In the summer of the renzi year of the Huangqing reign (1312), Zhang Yucai, the fifth successor Celestial Master (Tianshi), inscribed this at the abbot’s quarters of Chongzhen in Dadu.

Xuanwu’s manifestations of power reach far back. Wudang Mountain is the place where he once cultivated himself and ascended to Heaven, and so the wonders revealed there are especially striking; other places can hardly compare. The sagely dynasty’s unification of the realm brought joy to the Daoist community as well. During the Zhiyuan period, the tortoise and the snake appeared in winter in the area of the Gaoliang River, and the court thereupon built the Great Palace of Manifest Response (Da Zhaoying Gong) on that site to commemorate the prodigy. Now Zhang Dongyuan, drawing on the deeds of the deity’s manifestations, has compiled the Jiaqing tu as evidence to be transmitted to later generations. Spirits and human beings depend on one another and bring affairs to completion together: without human reverence, how would the deity be honored? Without human records, how would the deity’s illustrious deeds be spread? To make these deeds widely known throughout the world is precisely the work of the Jiaqing tu, and it is by no means in vain.

In the summer of the first year of the Yanyou era, after the change of reign title (1314), Wu Jinjie, the fifth successor master of the Mysterious Teaching (Xuanjiao), bowed his head and inscribed this.

The two palace-offices, Tianyi Zhenqing Palace and Yuanhe Qianxiao Prefecture, both originally derive from the Qingwei method (Qingwei fa, a lineage of Daoist ritual transmission). “Leikun Huangjun” transmitted this method to the Perfected Hunyin, Lord Nan. Zhang Dongyuan likewise received the method from the Qingwei tradition and therefore took it as the name of his own palace-office.

Zhang Dongyuan further selected several dozen illustrations from the Record of Inaugurating the Sage, added the episode in which the Sacred Ancestor of the present dynasty manifested the auspicious omen of the turtle and snake at the Gaoliang River, and compiled them into the Illustrations of Auspicious Celebration. The Celestial Master (Tianshi) of the present age and the various high ministers have already examined these matters in detail—what need is there for me to say more?

Moreover, the exalted perfected (Gaozhen, the high-ranking divine perfected beings revered in Daoism), dwelling in heaven, assist only those who possess virtue. The Emperor Shizu of our time has unified all under heaven and governs the state with benevolence and virtue; in the four quarters there is none who does not submit, and among the people there is none who does not live in peace and take joy in their work. Thus auspicious portents appear day after day, and numinous omens gather in abundance. This is the spectacle of correspondence between Heaven and humanity, truly a grand occasion rarely met in ten thousand generations. Zhang Dongyuan has elucidated these auspicious signs so that all under heaven may know them and so that they may be transmitted to later ages—an achievement worthy of praise. For this reason I compose this text.

Written on the day of the Beginning of Autumn in the first year of the newly proclaimed Huangqing era, by Zhang Zhongshou, Hanlin Academician Recipient of Edicts, Grand Master for Assisting toward Goodness, Drafter of Edicts, and concurrently Compiler of the National History.

The Book of Changes says: “The number of Heaven is one, and it gives birth to water; the number of Earth is six, and it brings water to completion.” One is the beginning of the numbers, and water is the root from which the myriad things begin to take form. Generating numbers belong to the odd numbers, and completing numbers belong to the even numbers; in direction, water corresponds to the north. “North” carries the sense of turning one’s back; the north symbolizes a person’s back, and for this reason the North Star stands at the highest point of the sky.

The form of the character “north” also means turning one’s back to the sunlight: at the winter solstice, Yang Qi (vital energy) reaches its limit, and thereafter it is born again, beginning from the winter solstice. Among the hexagrams, the north belongs to the Kan hexagram, which represents water. The form of the character “water” likewise corresponds to the Kan hexagram; the flow of water divides toward east and west and is linked with the four virtues represented by Qian and Kun, among which “zhen” means uprightness and firmness.

These meanings are also embodied in the stellar lodges of heaven. The seven lodges Dou, Niu, Nü, Xu, Wei, Shi, and Bi are arrayed in the north and together form the image of Xuanwu. Xuanwu is the tortoise and the snake. The Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, and the Vermilion Bird are each a single divine beast; only Xuanwu is composed of two animals. It is not called directly “tortoise and snake,” but is named “Xuanwu”: “xuan” is a reddish-black color, and the tortoise and the snake have precisely this color; bearing scales and armor, they also embody the image of “wu.”

The deity Xuanwu first descended into the human world. In the time of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song, shrines and temples were built everywhere to worship Xuanwu. The rise of the Yuan dynasty in fact also began from the north. The Qi of the north was about to flourish, and so the deity of the north descended ahead of it. All these things were omens; Heaven had already given indication in advance.

Mount Wudang lies in the southwest, lofty and vast, and the deity Xuanwu abides there. People often see the deity Xuanwu dressed in black, with hair unbound, a precious sword in hand, and feet treading upon the tortoise and the snake; even today, such legends and sightings are still common.

Zhang Jun Dongyuan, abbot of the Tianyi Zhenqing Palace, was devout in his faith in Daoism and firm and unyielding. When the Empress Dowager heard of his deeds, she summoned him. At that time the capital was suffering from drought; from the ninth month of the previous year until the third month no rain had fallen, and the emperor was troubled by this. The Empress Dowager sent people bearing incense to accompany Zhang Jun in prayer. Zhang Jun chose the day and the hour for the prayer, and afterward rain did indeed fall, ceasing only after several days in succession, so that fields far and near all received ample rain.

The Empress Dowager richly rewarded Zhang Jun, yet he distributed the whole of the reward among everyone and did not keep a single coin for himself. His conduct being such, he may truly be called rare in the world; the spirits ought rightly to protect and bless him.

Zhang Jun came to see me with the Jiaqing Tu that he himself had engraved and printed, and asked me to write a preface. I therefore wrote down these matters as I had heard them.

On the twenty-second day of the fourth month, by the Xia calendar, in the first year of Huangqing, Zhao Mengfu, Reader-in-waiting Academician of the Academy of Worthies and Grand Master for Palace Service, composed a preface.

“Tianyi” (Heavenly One) is the clear Qi (vital energy) of Heaven, and it is also the number by which Water is generated. Laozi said, “The Dao (the Way) gives birth to the One.” Zhenqing Palace takes “Tianyi” as its name, signifying that it is the place from which the origin of the Dao emerges. Mount Zixiao Tianzhu is lofty and precipitous; if not for Xuanwu (a deity revered in Daoism, also known as Zhenwu), who could serve as master of this place? Master Zhang of Dongyuan, by the mighty power of his vows and by steadfast cultivation, opened a sanctuary on this mountain. His disciples Tang Zhongyi and Liu Zhonghe expanded and carried forward their teacher’s teachings and produced the Illustration of the Holy Advent and Auspicious Celebration. The origin of the Dao, the loftiness of Mount Zixiao Tianzhu, and the deeds of Xuanwu in guarding this mountain are all set forth in that illustration. The results of tracing ancient events and gathering historical sources are likewise brought together in this book, and what it records is credible and well founded.

This book ought to circulate in every direction and be handed down for a hundred generations, so that those who cultivate and study the methods of the Dao may see it with their eyes and take it to heart, and through the images awaken to the marvel of the soundless. The divine and subtle cannot be fathomed, and transformation is without end; though there may be countless myriad manifestations, their subtle original mind is only one. The Zhouyi takes “yuan” as the first of the Four Virtues, and “yuan” also has the sense of “one.” The Qian hexagram speaks of “heng,” meaning that what is excellent and good gathers together; the Kun hexagram says, “A family that accumulates goodness is sure to have blessings in abundance.” All people and all things are originally one body. Together they receive the clear Qi of Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) and are endowed with the numbers of generation and transformation; by containing with breadth and generosity and by accumulating in depth, they preserve the true nature of Tianyi. Heaven and Earth are vast and profound, and all things dwell within Qian and Kun. The Way of auspicious celebration has power without end, and its blessings and virtue are likewise without end; this is why the Illustration of Auspicious Celebration was made. Those who read it should be single-minded and free of doubt. The spirits of the high and distant realms do indeed inspect and look down upon the human world.

On the White Dew solar term in the xinhai year of Zhida, the Daoist Zhao Zha of Yunxi Nai’an respectfully inscribed this.

How high Heaven is, no one can know; yet the forms of the sun, moon, and stars we are able to observe. How thick the earth is, one cannot… (Here the original text is defective, and what follows is mistakenly joined as “respectfully written with bowed hands by the Daoist Zhao Zha of Yunxi Nai’an,” so that it cannot be read coherently.)

(In the original, the passage from “Zixiao Tianzhu” to “the place from which the origin of the Dao emerges” is repeated; above, it has been combined into a single occurrence.)

How high Heaven is cannot be known, yet the forms of the sun, moon, and stars can still be observed; how thick the Earth is cannot be measured, yet the shapes of mountains, rivers, grasses, and trees can still be examined. The marvelous workings of Shen (spirit) are hard to fathom, yet the signs by which it manifests through transformation and responds in sympathetic resonance may still be described on that basis. These principles Master Zhang Dongyuan understood.

He painted the Xuanwu Jiaqing Tu (Picture of the Auspicious Celebration of Xuanwu, the Dark Warrior) in order to express these principles. He said: “Mount Wudang has seventy-two peaks, all of them extraordinary and towering; among them, Zixiao Peak (Purple Empyrean Peak) stands at the center of the seventy-two. That it can raise clouds and send rain, and manifest numinous wonders, is therefore not strange in itself.”

He also said: “That which is honored as emperor and revered as Shen is called Xuanwu. In Heaven, Xuanwu corresponds to the lodges Xu and Wei (the northern asterisms); on Earth, it is lodged in the numen of the turtle and the snake. Among the Five Phases (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) it belongs to Water; among the five colors it belongs to xuan (black); and its number is one. What is called ‘one,’ though numerically only a single unit, is the root of the generation and transformation of the myriad things. Numbers differentiate out from one; even when divided into tens, hundreds, thousands, and myriads, the starting point remains ‘one.’ Xuanwu is lodged within the Earth and also moves within the Dao (the Way) of Heaven—is this not what the world calls the supreme Shen?”

Dongyuan said: “Speaking upward from these principles, I cannot set them forth in words; speaking downward from these principles, I can still explain them in relatively plain language.” Thereupon, together with his disciples Tang Zhongyi and Liu Zhonghe, he selected the strange yet conspicuous deeds among them, painted them as images, and transmitted them, hoping that viewers throughout the world, on seeing them, would be stirred, and thereby give rise to feelings of reverence, grateful remembrance, and admiration.

Zi Cong, who succeeded as patriarch after the Great Patriarch of the Xuanjiao (the highest patriarch of the Daoist Xuanjiao), knew of Dongyuan’s contributions to Mount Wudang. He said: “Dongyuan has lived at Wudang, toiling arduously and managing with diligence, for more than twenty years. He climbed precipitous places and built roads, planned and constructed halls and chambers, and maintained the offerings of incense, almost bringing the deep mountains and secluded valleys to the condition of a flourishing town. How could Dongyuan’s planning and arrangements be regarded lightly? Those who assisted him in completing these undertakings were scholars who dwelt with him in the mountains and studied the learning of the Dao. At that time I held a local office, and my jurisdiction lay near Wudang, so I am able to recount these matters in detail.”

The deity of the Kan palace, the northern quarter associated with Water, is named Xuanwu (the Dark Warrior). He had already appeared when Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) first came into being, in accord with the numerological principle that “Heaven’s One generates Water,” and he moves in circuit through the eight directions of heaven and earth, his numinous powers and transformations impossible to fathom. His grace benefits the myriad things and protects the people, and his De (Virtue/Power) is vast. Through the ages, people have reverently honored him. Mount Wudang is the dwelling place of those who cultivate the Dao (the Way) and attain realization. The mountain stands high, with peaks encircling it; tradition holds that ghosts and spirits guard it closely, so that ordinary people seldom manage to reach it. Among these heights, Tianzhu Peak and Zixiao Peak are especially lofty and precipitous.

Master Zhang of Dongyuan opened this mountain and built temple halls on a grand and magnificent scale, such as had never existed before. It took him twenty-seven years to complete the work. Had his cultivation not been profound and his will not steadfast, how could he have accomplished this? His leading disciples, Tang Zhongyi and Liu Zhonghe, carried on their teacher’s purpose. Considering that the Veritable Record recounting the deeds of the Dark Emperor was not widely circulated, they prepared illustrations and explained the related stories one by one, setting them down in full detail from beginning to end. They also gathered craftsmen to carve printing blocks and publish the book, so that it might be transmitted to later ages, allowing readers to understand the stories through the images and, through the stories, to recognize the spiritual efficacy of the Dark Emperor. In this way, people would give rise to sincere reverence, become still more firm in their resolve to do good, and gradually draw near to the Great Dao.

Lin Zhongde, Chief Clerk of the Zhongzheng Administration, related these matters to me and asked me to write a preface for the book. I admire Master Zhang of Dongyuan for the firmness of his faith in the Dao, and I admire Tang Zhongyi and Liu Zhonghe for the diligence of their efforts; from this it may be seen that the mysterious influence of the Dao is sure to flourish greatly. I therefore composed this preface.

Written by Yu Ji on the tenth day of the first month of the first year of Huangqing. Respectfully written by Bao Siyi on an auspicious day in the first month of winter of the xinhai year of the Zhida era.

Note: In the source text as given, passages such as “Jiaqing tuxing” appear to involve errors of transmission or recognition, and some wording is repeated; the foregoing has been rendered according to the sense of the context.