Zhang Daozhen张道祯（附）

Style & Daoist names

Self-styled sixty-fourth-generation Celestial Master

Period

Contemporary

Dates

? — ?

School

Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Daoism

Role

Contested figure in the Celestial Masters' succession

Birthplace

Taiwan

Life

Zhang Daozhen, a Taiwan native, claims to be a grandson of Zhang Enpu and has acted in the capacity of the 64th-generation Celestial Master; after Zhang Yuanxian's death in 2008, he announced in Taipei that he had succeeded to the position and presided over the conferral of registers, while Zhang Yijiang and others of Zhang Yuanxian's line each had their own supporters, forming a multi-sided dispute over the succession of Celestial Masters in Taiwan. On the mainland side, descendants of the Celestial Master lineage such as Zhang Jiyu are the recognized representatives and do not recognize the succession claimed on the Taiwan side. This appendix entry records only the publicly reported facts of the dispute and makes no judgment on legitimacy. The dispute over the succession of Celestial Masters itself reflects the difficulties faced by the Zhengyi institution of the "Celestial Master" amid the division between the two sides of the strait and the context of modern religious organization. The register-conferral activities he has presided over have been reported both within Taiwan's Daoist community and in the media.

Contributions & Influence

• One party in the dispute over the succession of Celestial Masters in Taiwan
• His case reflects the difficulties of the Celestial Master institution amid cross-strait circumstances
• Presided over register-conferral activities in Taipei (as publicly reported)