Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.3, 2014

 

The Rise of Mt Mao in Jurong County and the Southern Dynasty Society

(Abstract)

 

Wei Bin

 

The Stele of the Jiuxi Masters of the Three Mao (九锡真人三茅君碑) was set up on Mt Mao by the mouth of the Southern Cave in the third year of the Putong reign period of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty (464-549). It provides valuable clues for understanding the geography of Southern Dynasty beliefs centered on Mt Mao in Jurong County. The names of a great many "Taoist Masters of the Temples in the Qi and Liang Dynasties" are inscribed on the stele, with their native places clearly indicated, revealing a distinctive mixture of immigrants and natives. In terms of status, the Masters of the Three Mao were three "immortal sojourners" who came from Guanzhong and, crossing the Yangtze River, became the masters of Mt Mao. The biographies of the Masters of the Three Mao, with the details of their sojourning away from home, appeared in the middle years of the Eastern Jin when Yang Xi and Xu Mi were summoning the gods. The Masters of the Three Mao were charged with the responsibility of "supervising all of the immortals of Mt Tai, including the gods in Wu and Yue"; that is, they were in charge of the route to immortality and of vital issues for both immigrants and natives in the Jiangnan region, with a distinctive fusion of the two groups in terms of beliefs and appearance. Under the influence of this kind of "religious imagination", Mt Mao became a sacred place for Taoism. Taoist temples increased in number after the Liu Song Dynasty and reached a peak in the Southern Qi and Liang Dynasties. Most were constructed under orders from the emperors  or supported by the great families. Temple affairs were demanding; the temples were not there purely to support private devotions. With Buddhism growing ever stronger in the middle years of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty, the fact that Taoists placed a memorial stele summarizing their belief in the Masters of the Three Mao on the sacred site of Mt Mao implies a certain degree of religious protest.