Research On Taoist Chorography In Ming Dynasty

The Taoist Chorography was appeared as late the Eastern Jin Dynasty,"Nanyue record" wrote by Xu Ling qi who lived in the Late Jin and Liu song Dynasty, was its representative.The Tang Dynasty is the initial period of development of Taoist Chorography. During this period, Taoist Chorography was only wrote by Taoist, and was limited to a few of the famous Taoist mountain. The Song and Yuan Dynasties were a period of development of Taoist Chorography, in this period, on one hand, there were more Taoist Chorography, the chorography’ranges and objects enlarged, the writers were no longer limited to Taoist, some scholars and officials were joined. On the other hand, the style of Taoist chorography become more standard, the content of Taoist chorography become more rigorous. All of these laid a foundation for writing Taoist Chorography in Ming Dynasty.Taoist Chorography in Ming Dynasty both of the quantity and quality, and system innovation, reached a higher level. Today, we know nearly one hundred Taoist Chorography, and there are at least50Chorography that we can read. Jiajing, Wanli and Chongzhen three dynasties were the prosperous period to compilation of Taoist Chorography in Ming Dynasty. The Chorography concentrate southern region which include Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Guangdong, Fujian, Anhui province, the Taoist Chorography writing in Huguang, Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi and Shandong province had no small achievement.The Chorography writers not only have Taoist priests and scholars, but local officials played a greater role in writing. Through the review of the spread, content, style, value of15important Taoist Chorography in Ming Dynasty, we can know the overall situation about the Taoist Chorography in Ming Dynasty. With the continuous development of the theory of local chronicles in Ming Dynasty, and many scholars, local officials who had higher cultural literacy joined in writing Chorography, the style of Taoist Chorography in Ming Dynasty had been developed and innovated, and gradually mature. Flat head body Chorography, Medical body Chorography, and Biographical Chorography are the most common Taoist Chorography in Ming Dynasty. It is had an important influence on he the Ming later Taoist chronicle.Taoist Chorography in Ming Dynasty has an important value for the study of the history of Taoism. They not only recorded some things that famous Taoist priest practice Taoism, Taoist temples’creation and evolution, but also included some information about confering the title of Taoist deities, and economy of Taoist temple. Taoist Chorography in Ming Dynasty has some important value of philology. We can only look up some historical materials in the Chorography, it can fill in the other literature. Some historical materials which about folk custom, geography, music were recorded by Taoist Chorography, have important value.