Wang Laozhi王老志

Style & Daoist names

Master Dongwei

Period

Northern Song

Dates

? — ?

Role

Fangshi (Master of Methods)Court Daoists

Birthplace

Linquan, Puzhou (around present-day Juancheng, Shandong)

Life

Wang Laozhi, a fangshi (master of methods) during the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, was a native of Linquan in Puzhou. Originally a minor clerk in the transport commission, known for his filial devotion to his parents, he was said to have "encountered an extraordinary person and received an elixir," after which he left his family to live in a thatched hut in seclusion, becoming known for prophesying fortune and misfortune. In the third year of the Zhenghe era (1113) he was recommended to the capital by the Grand Master of the Imperial Stud Wang Wei; Emperor Huizong granted him an audience and the title "Master of Penetrating Subtlety," and he lodged in the household of Cai Jing (some say a temple was built for him), gaining favor for the frequent accuracy of his prophecies and for once presenting a sealed document "speaking of past events." He was favored by Huizong before Lin Lingsu, and was spoken of together with Wang Zixi; he later asked to return home and died soon after. His story is recorded in the "Biographies of Fangji" in the History of Song. The successive favor shown to Wang Laozhi and Wang Zixi reflects Huizong's interest in prophetic techniques in the early part of his reign, and also paved the way for Lin Lingsu's later Shenxiao movement.

Contributions & Influence

• A favored fangshi in the early part of Huizong's reign, marking the beginning of Huizong's devotion to Daoism

Legends

Legend holds that after receiving an elixir from an extraordinary person he could foresee human affairs, and that on one night he dreamed of wandering through the celestial palace.