Wang Ningzhi王凝之（附）

Style & Daoist names

Shuping (courtesy name)

Period

Eastern Jin

Dates

? — 399

School

Way of the Celestial Masters (Tianshi Dao)

Role

OfficialAdherent of the Way of the Celestial Masters

Birthplace

Linyi, Langya

Life

Wang Ningzhi, styled Shuping, was Wang Xizhi's second son and the husband of Xie Daoyun; he served successively as Governor of Jiangzhou, General of the Left, and Interior Minister of Kuaiji. The Book of Jin records that "the Wang family for generations served the Zhang family's Way of the Five Pecks of Rice, and Ningzhi was ever more devoted to it." In the third year of the Long'an era (399), when Sun En rose in rebellion and attacked Kuaiji, Wang Ningzhi made no defensive preparations, but "entered the meditation chamber to pray," claiming that he had already secured the help of "spirit soldiers" to guard the strategic river crossings; as a result the city fell and he was killed, along with his sons, while his wife Xie Daoyun took up a sword, went out and killed several attackers before being captured. This episode both demonstrates the depth of Celestial Masters belief among the Eastern Jin gentry, and illustrates a clash between different factions within the Celestial Masters tradition itself (Sun En too followed the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice). This entry is included as an appendix figure. Wang Ningzhi was also known for his calligraphy, but his conduct during the rebellion of Sun En has long been mocked by historians, and has become a classic case study in discussions of Celestial Masters belief among the Eastern Jin gentry.

Contributions & Influence

• A typical case study of Celestial Masters belief among the Eastern Jin gentry