Emperor Zhenzong of Song宋真宗

Style & Daoist names

Zhao Heng

Period

Northern Song

Dates

968 — 1022

Role

EmperorsEmperor Who Revered Daoism

Birthplace

Kaifeng

Places of activity

Mount Tai (Taishan)

Life

Emperor Zhenzong of Song, personal name Zhao Heng, reigned 997–1022. After the Treaty of Chanyuan (1004), in order to "overawe the realm and impress foreign states," under the direction of Wang Qinruo, Ding Wei, and others, he launched a great campaign of auspicious "Heavenly Writs" (tianshu): in the first year of the Dazhong Xiangfu era (1008) he announced that Heavenly Writs had descended at the Chengtian Gate, changed the reign title to Dazhong Xiangfu, and that same year performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices at Mount Tai; in the fourth year (1011) he sacrificed to Houtu at Fenyin; and in the fifth year (1012) he further claimed that the Sagely Ancestor Zhao Xuanlang had descended at the Yan'en Hall, honoring him as "Great Emperor Numinous and Exalted Sagely Ancestor, Overseer of Destiny of the Nine Heavens, Preserver of Life," and retroactively declaring him the founding ancestor of the Zhao clan. He built a great number of temples, including the Yuqing Zhaoying Gong, the Jingling Gong, and the Huiling Guan; he paid homage at the Taiqing Gong in Bozhou and augmented Laozi's title to "Supreme Lord Lao, Emperor of Primordial Unity and Sublime Virtue"; he ordered Wang Qinruo, Zhang Junfang, and others to compile the Daoist Canon (the Da Song Tiangong baozang, from which the Yunji qiqian was later compiled), and bestowed posthumous titles and honors on eminent Daoists such as Chen Tuan. The reverence for Daoism under Zhenzong's reign consumed enormous resources, but it also brought state patronage to Daoism in the Song, and its institutional effects — such as the systems of Daoist officialdom and of temple administration — were far-reaching.

Contributions & Influence

• Constructed Daoist legitimacy for Song imperial authority through the "Heavenly Writs" and the "Sagely Ancestor"
• Performed the Feng and Shan sacrifices at Mount Tai, augmented Laozi's title, and built large temple complexes such as the Yuqing Zhaoying Gong
• Ordered the compilation of the Da Song Tiangong baozang, marking the beginning of Daoist Canon compilation in the Northern Song

Legends

Both the 'descent of the Heavenly Writs' and the 'descent of the Sagely Ancestor' were auspicious signs manufactured by the court at the time, not historical fact.