Wang Chuyi王处一

Style & Daoist names

courtesy name Yuyang, sobriquets Quanyangzi and Yuyangzi, Perfected Yuyang Who Embodies the Mystery and Broadly Delivers

Period

Jin

Dates

1142 — 1217

School

Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Daoism, Yushan Lineage of Quanzhen

Role

Seven Perfected of QuanzhenFounding Patriarch of the Yushan Lineage

Birthplace

Ninghai (present-day Rushan, Shandong)

Places of activity

Mount Kunyu

Life

Wang Chuyi, a native of Ninghai, Shandong, was one of the Seven Perfected of Quanzhen, taking Wang Chongyang as his teacher in 1168. He then lived for nine years in ascetic practice at Yunguang Cave on Mount Tiecha, Wendeng, and tradition holds that he stood barefoot on the mountain rock for long periods, earning him the name 'Immortal Iron Foot.' In the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth years of the Dading era of Jin (1188–1189) he twice answered the summons of Emperor Shizong and Emperor Zhangzong of Jin to Yanjing, performing offering rituals and prayers for the court, becoming the first of the Seven Perfected of Quanzhen to gain court recognition. His lineage, called the Yushan Branch, exerted lasting influence on the Jiaodong Peninsula. He wrote the Yunguang Ji, and his disciples recorded the Qingzhen Ji. In the sixth year of the Zhiyuan era he was posthumously canonized as Perfected One Yuyang, Embodying the Mystery and Extending Salvation. He was also charged with overseeing the construction of numerous temples in Shandong and Hebei, and was a major force in Quanzhen Daoism's expansion from the Shandong Peninsula into the interior during the Jin dynasty.

Contributions & Influence

• One of the Seven Perfected of Quanzhen; founded the Yushan Branch
• Twice answered summonses to the capital, winning Quanzhen its first recognition from the Jin court
• Taught the Dao in the Jiaodong region, building temples such as Shengshui Yuxu Temple

Works

• Collection of Cloud Light
• Gazetteer of the Western Peak, Mount Hua (attributed)
• Collection of Clarity and Truth

Legends

The account of 'Immortal Iron Foot' standing on one leg at Yunguang Cave for nine years is legendary.