Yongle Palace Mural/CFP
The Yongle Palace in Ruicheng, Shanxi, is the earliest surviving Taoist temple in China. According to the Yongle Palace Mural Protection Research Institute, the staff of the hospital found nearly 100 ancient Taoist texts from the Mongolian yuan period when sorting out the relocation materials of the Yongle Palace. Among them, there are five Taoist ordination documents and one engraved Taoist scripture, which has been evaluated by relevant experts and designated as a first-class cultural relic in the collection.
The five Taoist ordination documents are: "Yuanxing Shangshu Provincial Judge Fu Daoist Zhang Laitong License", "Yuanxing Shangshu Provincial Judge Fu Daoren Zhang Laitong License", "Yuan Emperor Sacred Will Ordinary Degree Ordination (including cover) Fu Changchun Palace Li Zhenren", "Yuangui by Emperor Fuyinqiu Shenxian Gate Tongyun Zhenren Sacred Will", "Yuanxing Shangshu Provincial Governor Fu Daoist Zhang Zhidong License", "Yuanxing Shangshu Provincial Governor to Taiping XingguoGuan Guarantee License Template".
Among them, the "License of Zhang Laitong, the Governor of Yuanxing Shangshu Province", the "License of Zhang Zhidong, the Governor of Yuan Shaanxi Province", and the "Sacred Will of Yuangui by Emperor Fuyinqiu Shenxian Gate People Tongyun Zhenren" are the identity certificates of the Yuan Dynasty Daoists Zhang Laitong, Zhang Zhidong and Yu Shanqing passing between various regions.
The three "licenses" were issued between 1244 and 1248 AD, and the contents of the documents are roughly similar. They all first quote the holy decree of the imperial court to approve the activities of religious personnel, then describe the reasons for the passage and the biography of the licensee, and finally draw the pledge by the guarantor and the issuing agency.
Five Taoist priest's identification papers and a copy of Taoist scriptures discovered in the iconic Taoist temple Yongle Palace in north China's Shanxi Province have disclosed the secrets of monks living more than 700 years ago.
Three of the identification papers, which were used as travel permits and issued from 1244 to 1248, have similar writing style, starting with citing the imperial edict of approving religious activities, then explaining who was the paper's holder and what he would do, and ending with the signature of a bondsman and issuance organization.
Zhang Laitong was from Zhuozhou Dingxing Sun Chen Jiazhuang Zhongxian Temple, was only eighteen years old when he held the license, which stated his position, place of origin, and teacher inheritance, and was guaranteed by Wang Deguang, a Taoist monk from the Taiping Palace in the southern qing dynasty of Shaanxi Province.
Zhang Zhidong was from Chongyang Palace in Zhongnan, Shaanxi Province, and was 29 years old when he held the license, and was guaranteed by Zhang Zhiyou, the zhigong of Zhongnan Chongyang Palace.
Yu Shanqing's license is slightly special. Since he was already a high-ranking Quanzhen Daoist at that time, his license was issued directly by the emperor at that time and could be used in various places without hindrance.
The papers also read the name, age, title and birthplace of the holders and whose their mentors were. They usually had another Taoist priest to be his bondsman. But one of the holders, named Yu Shanqing, was an abbot of a prestigious Taoist temple, and his identification paper was issued directly by the then emperor, which entitled him the all-pass right to travel across the country.
In addition to these three licenses, the five documents also contain a "license template" - "Yuan xing shangshu provincial judge to taiping xingguoguan guarantee license template" (1244). It was written by Liu Zhiyan, a Taoist monk of the Taiping XingguoGuan in Pingyao, Shanxi, and its writing format is consistent with other licenses, but the curriculum vitae of the holder is not filled in, and it is considered to be a passing license without an designated holder.
According to Xi Jiulong, president of the Yongle Palace Mural Protection Research Institute, this discovery has important data value for the study of the development of the Quanzhen Sect in the Mongolian yuan period and the reconstruction history of the Yongle Palace.
Xi Jiulong said that the Nanjing Museum is one of the best paper cultural relics restoration units in China, and hopes that these cultural relics can be best protected under the restoration of professionals. It is reported that this batch of cultural relics will be restored within the year.
Being of great significance to the temple and the study of the development of the Quanzhen School of Taoism, the papers were accessed by experts as the temple's first grade cultural relics, and have been sent for restoration.
They were found in the Yongle Palace among other nearly 100 ancient books and documents in June 2019 when the temple rearranged the books.
The Yongle Palace is one of the three most important temples of the Quanzhen School of Taoism. It has the largest mural of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) in China.
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Yongle Palace, named after its former site in Yongle Town, also known as Dachunyang Wanshou Palace, is a Taoist temple of the Yuan Dynasty dedicated to the ancestor of the mainstream Taoist Quanzhen sect, Lü Dongbin.
From south to north, Yongle Palace is lined with palace gates, Wuji gates, Sanqing Halls, Pure Yang Halls and Chongyang Halls. Among them, the Chongyang Hall is dedicated to Wang Chongyang, the leader of the Taoist Quanzhen Sect, and his disciple "Seven True People".
Yongle Palace is famous for its exquisite murals of more than 1,000 square meters. The most famous of these is the Chaoyuan Tu, which depicts the story of the gods worshipping Yuan Shi Tianzun and is the highest example of the mural art of the Yuan Dynasty.
It is worth mentioning that from 1959 to 1964, when the Sanmenxia Reservoir was built, Yongle Palace happened to be located in the flooded area of the reservoir area. Therefore, Yongle Palace once moved more than 20 kilometers as a whole, from the "hometown" Of Yongle Town in Ruicheng County to the east of Longquan Village, 3 kilometers north of the "new home" Ruicheng County.
(The unmarked pictures are from the official website of the Yongle Palace Mural Protection Research Institute of Shanxi Province)