BY: DARIO HARRIS & DESIREE WHITFIELD
REL/133
6/09/15
MARCUS GREEN

Significant Figures


Gongsun Xuanyuan better known as Huang DI was a significant figure in the expansion of Taoism. The name Huang DI translates into “Yellow Emperor”, this name was given to him by his citizens because of his benevolent acts.



Lao Tzu is known as the father of Taoism through his writing of the “Tao Te Ching” a book consisting of 5000 characters. Lao Tzu Developed the book when he had traveled to the west of China where a guard asked him to write a book before left.



Chuang Tzu was renowned for his writing that had deep meaning yet had roots with every day workers. Chuang Tzu further developed Taoism after the Lao Tzu, a prominent addition being self transformation.

Significant Figures cont….

Interesting Facts
 Scholars

believe that Lao Tzu the father of Taoism did not exist.

 This

belief was based on a key fact that Lao Tzu is not a name.

 The

“Tao Te Ching” is the most translated literature next to the bible.

 “Taoism”
 There

translates to “the way” and often described as water.

are two different types of Taoism, one being a philosophical view and the other a religious view.



The second practice is Chinese medicine and acupuncture, specializing in regulating ones Chi with exercise or herbal medication or applying pressure on the 365 of a human’s point system, acupuncture is used to cure pains and regulate health.



The third ritual or practice is Feng Shui where Taoists believed in the balancing of our lives and the environment around us by arranging the way we live to encompass the spiritual energy around is.

Rituals and Key
Practices


Taoists place a tremendous emphasis on physical health and longevity therefore their rituals and practices are always revolved around their lives in some way. One of these practices being Tai Chi: An expression of Martial Arts that was developed in Taoism to promote physical activity and to harmonize the flow of Chi
(energy) through ones body.

Religious Significance


Though there has been 3 distinct periods of Taoism (the growth stage, development stage and declining stage) the biggest and most significant event that occurred is in the declining stage, where the cultural revolution started. This was the period of tragedy where Mao
Zedong attempted to eliminate the legacies of Taoism and in turn helped to spread.



Taoism and invoked interest from many western countries of ancient
Chinese spiritually. Because of Mao Zedong’s movement now Taoism is spread out not only concentrated in China, though the most active
Taoist nation in North America and