Daoist organizations, sites, migration networks and living-heritage practices across China, Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Asia and global Chinese communities.
Founded in 2001, with Ng Peng-chi as president, it is dedicated to the preservation and transmission of Macau Daoist ritual music (inscribed on the National Intangible Cu…
A branch temple established in Sydney by the Ching Chung Koon of Hong Kong in the 1980s, one of the principal Chinese Daoist temples in Australia, enshrining Patriarch Lü…
Founded in Rio de Janeiro in 1991 by the Taiwanese Zhengyi priest Wu Zhicheng (Wu Jyh Cherng), it maintains a Daoist temple and trains Brazilian-national priests, and has…
A Chinese Daoist organization in British Columbia, Canada, that connects Daoist temples and priests in the Vancouver and Richmond areas, holds Daoist rites, lectures on D…
The local Daoist organization for the city of Beijing, founded in 1984 and headquartered at the White Cloud Temple, it coordinates the religious affairs, ordinations, and…
The Belgian branch of the Taoist Tai Chi Society / Fung Loy Kok Institute of Taoism, with teaching centers in Brussels, Antwerp and elsewhere; it teaches "Taoist Tai Chi"…
Founded in Toronto in 1970 by the Hong Kong Daoist priest Moy Lin-shin, it primarily teaches "Taoist Tai Chi," with branches in 26 countries worldwide and tens of thousan…
A Chinese-English encyclopedic database of Daoism established by the Daoist Culture Centre of Fung Ying Seen Koon, containing several thousand entries on figures, temples…
A Daoist organization in Germany existing in the form of a registered association (e.V.), whose members are mostly German Daoist priests and practitioners of taiji and qi…
An organization composed of Russian practitioners of Daoism and Chinese Daoist priests resident in Russia, active in Moscow and Saint Petersburg in disseminating and tran…
Founded by the French Daoist Karine Martin, who studied for many years at temples in China, it operates alongside the Institut d'Études Taoïstes (Institute of Daoist Stud…
The French national institute for Oriental studies, which together with the École Pratique des Hautes Études constitutes the French tradition of Daoist studies (Henri Mas…
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Fuzhou, it coordinates Zhengyi altars, Lüshan ritual altars, and Quanzhen temples throughout Fujian, and runs the Fujian Taoist Colle…
Founded in 1926 in Tay Ninh, Vietnam, it venerates the Jade Emperor (Cao Dai, "High Tower"), blending Daoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Catholicism, and the spirit-writing …
The provincial organization for Daoism in Guangdong, headquartered at Sanyuan Palace in Guangzhou, it coordinates temples such as Chongxu Temple at Mount Luofu, Chunyang …
An international Daoist gathering co-hosted by the Chinese Taoist Association and the China Religious Culture Communication Association: the International Forum on the Da…
A scholarly association for the study of the history of Daoism, Daoist thought, and the study of internal alchemy (danxue) in Korea and East Asia, which publishes Studies…
The provincial organization for Daoism in Henan, headquartered in Zhengzhou, it coordinates temples such as Zhongyue Temple on Mount Song, Taiqing Palace in Luyi, Xuanmia…
A local Dutch organization for Daoist philosophy and practice, which holds lectures on the Daodejing and the Zhuangzi, courses in meditation and taiji, and publishes Dutc…
Built in Yokohama Chinatown in 1862, enshrining Guandi, it has been rebuilt several times after being destroyed by earthquakes and war (the current, fourth-generation bui…
The provincial organization for Daoism in Hunan, headquartered in Changsha, it coordinates temples such as those on Mount Heng (Southern Peak), Yunlu Palace on Yuelu Moun…
Established under the 1928 Chinese Temples Ordinance, it manages numerous traditional temples in Hong Kong (such as the Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan and the Pak Tai Temple…
The provincial organization for Daoism in Jiangsu, headquartered in Nanjing, it oversees Zhengyi and Quanzhen temples such as the Maoshan Daoist Institute, Xuanmiao Templ…
The provincial organization for Daoism in Liaoning, headquartered at Taiqing Palace in Shenyang, it is the central body for Quanzhen Daoism in Northeast China, coordinati…
A local Zhengyi organization headquartered at the Mansion of the Celestial Masters (Tianshi Fu), it resumed the conferral of registers on Zhengyi priests from China and a…
Built by Chinese immigrants in Port Louis in 1842, it is one of the oldest Chinese temples in the Southern Hemisphere, enshrining Guandi; it is the center of Chinese reli…
Founded in 1994 on the initiative of Tan Chai Ho and others, headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, it is the national umbrella organization for Taoist organizations in Malaysia;…
Another national federation of Taoist organizations in Malaysia, uniting state-level Taoist associations and temples; it maintains exchange with the Chinese Taoist Associ…
The oldest surviving Chinese temple in Malaysia, enshrining Guanyin, Mazu, Guandi and others, jointly venerating Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism; historically it was th…
A network of European scholars operating within the framework of the Society for the Study of Chinese Religions (SSCR), which organizes sessions on the study of Chinese r…
The religious organization of the Taoist Tai Chi Society, venerating the Three Teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism and Daoism, originating from the Fung Ying Seen Koon / …
Founded in 1929 in Fanling by Longmen-lineage Quanzhen priests from Guangzhou, it is the representative Quanzhen Longmen temple in Hong Kong, and conducts Daoist cultural…
The Nine Emperor Gods Vegetarian Festival of Phuket was introduced by Fujianese miners in the 19th century, and is jointly held by dozens of Chinese Daoist shrines includ…
Founded in 1950 by Daoist companions who migrated south from Zhibao Terrace in Guangzhou, it is located in Tuen Mun and belongs to the Quanzhen Longmen lineage; it is kno…
A branch temple established in San Francisco by the Ching Chung Koon of Hong Kong, enshrining Patriarch Lü, one of the representative Chinese Quanzhen Daoist temples in N…
Founded on October 18, 1950, it is the world's earliest learned society devoted specifically to Daoist studies. It publishes Tōhō Shūkyō (Journal of Eastern Religions, se…
The Swiss branch of the Taoist Tai Chi Society, with teaching centers in Zurich, Geneva, Bern and elsewhere; its main activity is taijiquan for health cultivation, and it…
Founded in 1921 to manage the Wong Tai Sin Temple, dedicated to Huang Chuping, while also honoring Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism together, it began through spirit-wr…
The provincial organization for Daoism in Shandong, headquartered in Jinan, it coordinates temples such as Taiqing Palace at Laoshan, Bixia Temple at Mount Tai, and Mount…
The provincial organization for Daoism in Shaanxi, headquartered at the Eight Immortals Palace in Xi'an, it coordinates temples such as Louguantai, Chongyang Palace, Yuqu…
Founded in 1985 and headquartered at the Shanghai City God Temple, it established the Shanghai Taoist College in 1986 (with Chen Liansheng as its first dean) and publishe…
Founded by Khigh Dhiegh in Los Angeles in 1970 and later relocated to San Diego, it was the first Daoist religious organization to receive government recognition in the U…
Established on September 24, 2023, during the Fifth International Forum on Daoism at Mount Mao in Jiangsu, with 52 Daoist organizations from 20 countries and regions as f…
Founded in 1980 by Qing Xitai, it is the earliest institution dedicated specifically to Daoist studies on the Chinese mainland; it compiled History of Chinese Daoism (ed.…
The provincial organization for Daoism in Sichuan, headquartered at Qingyang Palace in Chengdu, it coordinates the affairs of temples at Mount Qingcheng, Mount Heming, Qi…
In 1949, Zhang Enpu brought the Zhengyi Celestial Master lineage to Taiwan and established the Celestial Master's Mansion there, overseeing register conferral and ordinat…
Built in 1972 on Beverly Hills by Chinese merchants of Cebu, enshrining Laozi and other deities, it is a landmark building of Daoism in the Philippines and a site where l…
A Daoist educational institution organized by Taiwan's Daoist community, offering courses in Daoist ritual, scripture recitation, Daoist history, and culture, aimed at te…
An umbrella organization of Chinese Daoist temples and organizations in Thailand, it participates in the International Forum on Daoism hosted by the Chinese Taoist Associ…
A charitable religious organization established after Dejiao (the Teaching of Virtue, originating in Chaoyang in 1939) spread to Thailand, it venerates the "Sages of the …
Built between 1839 and 1842 by Hokkien immigrants, enshrining Mazu, it is the oldest Hokkien temple in Singapore and the seat of the Hokkien Huay Kuan (Fujian Association…
A local Daoist organization managing temples on Wudang Mountains such as Zixiao Palace, Taihe Palace, and Nanyan Palace, founded around 1984, it runs the Wudang Mountains…
A Spanish organization dedicated to disseminating traditional Daoism, which has established lineage ties with temples in China and holds courses and rituals; Spain also h…
Founded in 1961 on the initiative of Daoist halls such as Fung Ying Seen Koon, Ching Chung Koon, and the Yuen Yuen Institute, and registered as a nonprofit corporation in…
Founded in 1991 with funding from Ching Chung Koon, it engages scholars and senior priests to offer courses on Daoist scriptures, ritual protocol, history and culture, pu…
A Daoist research center within the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, founded in 2006 and directed by Lai Chi-tim, it p…
A missionary and educational organization founded in 1996 by Daoist Master Lee Zhi Wang, it propagates Daoist doctrine, ritual, and scripture to the younger generation an…
Founded in 1990, it is the national umbrella organization for Taoist temples and organizations in Singapore; it built San Qing Gong as its headquarters in 1996, promotes …
The largest Asian studies association in North America; its annual conference includes panels and sessions related to Daoist studies. The American Academy of Religion (AA…
Formally established in November 2013 by Vincenzo Di Ieso, its predecessor was the Associazione Taoista d'Italia (Italian Taoist Association) of the 1990s; it engages in …
Continuing the Sam Kauw Hwee (Tridharma Association) founded by Kwee Tek Hoay in 1934, it is the national umbrella organization for Indonesia's "Three Teachings" temples …
Founded by a British-national priest of the Quanzhen Longmen Lineage, it engages in the translation of Daoist scriptures (such as the Qingjing jing and the Treatise of th…
Founded in 1950 at Sam Dip Tam in Tsuen Wan, it advocates the unity of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, enshrining the sages of all three teachings; it is one of the f…
The provincial organization for Daoism in Yunnan, headquartered in Kunming, it coordinates the affairs of Longquan Temple, the Golden Hall (Jindian), the Daoist temples o…
The provincial organization for Daoism in Zhejiang, headquartered in Hangzhou, it established the Zhejiang Taoist College at Tongbai Palace in Tiantai in 2015, and coordi…
Founded in April 1957 in Beijing, headquartered at the White Cloud Temple, Beijing, with Yue Chongdai as its first president. It is the national organization for Daoism i…
Founded in 1990 at the White Cloud Temple, Beijing, it is the highest Daoist educational institution, run by the Chinese Taoist Association, offering undergraduate, gradu…
An international society for the study of Chinese religions founded in 1973, which publishes the Journal of Chinese Religions (formerly the SSCR Bulletin), an important v…
Another national Taoist organization in Taiwan, composed of the heads of major temples and Daoist figures, it engages in cross-strait and international Daoist exchange, t…
After the sixty-third Celestial Master Zhang Enpu went to Taiwan in 1949, he re-established the Taiwan Provincial Taoist Association in 1950; it was expanded into the Tao…
Founded by the scholar-priest Louis Komjathy (Kang Siqi) and Kate Townsend, it engages in teaching the practice of Daoism (especially Quanzhen), translation and publishin…
Daoism in Argentina centers mainly on the shrines and Buddhist-Daoist syncretic temples of the Chinese community (migrants from Taiwan and Fujian) in Buenos Aires, along …
Anhui is the homeland of Laozi and Zhuangzi: one tradition places Laozi's birthplace in Guoyang (another holds it was Luyi, Henan), and Zhuangzi was a native of Meng (in …
Daoism in Austria consists mainly of groups practicing taijiquan, qigong and Daoist philosophy; Chinese community associations in Vienna maintain shrines, and the Fung Lo…
Australian Daoism originated from temples built by Chinese Gold Rush laborers in the nineteenth century (the Sze Yup Temple, Sydney, 1898; temples in Melbourne and Bendig…
Daoism in Macau centers traditionally on the cult of Mazu and Zhengyi Daoist altars: the A-Ma Temple (built around the mid-Ming, also called Ma Kok Miu), from which the n…
Brazil is the most organized country for the spread of Daoism in Latin America: in 1991 the Taiwanese Daoist priest Wu Jyh Cherng (1958–2004, of the Zhengyi tradition) fo…
Beijing has been the Daoist center of the north since the Jin and Yuan dynasties. In the late Jin and early Yuan, after traveling west to have an audience with Genghis Kh…
The spread of Daoism in Belgium centers mainly on taijiquan, qigong and Daoist philosophy; Chinese communities in Brussels and Antwerp maintain shrines, and the Fung Loy …
Daoism in Chongqing belongs to the Ba-Shu Daoist tradition; some of the Way of the Celestial Masters' original twenty-four parishes were located in the Ba-Yu region. From…
The spread of Daoism in Germany centers on philosophy and health cultivation: Richard Wilhelm's translations of the Daodejing and The Secret of the Golden Flower (Taiyi j…
The spread of Daoism in Russia centers mainly on scholarship and health cultivation: the tradition of oriental studies in St. Petersburg (Evgeny Torchinov, Leonid Vasilie…
France is a center of Daoist studies in Europe: the Collège de France, the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), and the École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO) have, …
Filipino Chinese are predominantly of Hokkien origin, from areas such as Jinjiang and Nan'an in Fujian. Alongside the mainstream Catholic faith, they retain Daoist and po…
Fujian Daoism is most distinctively marked by the system of married householder Zhengyi priests (dao tan, ritual altars) and by the Lüshan Ritual Tradition, and it is the…
Daoism in Gansu spread along the Hexi Corridor and eastern Gansu; in the Tang and Song, Dunhuang was a major center for the copying and transmission of Daoist scriptures,…
Daoism in Guangdong is centered on Mount Luofu (Boluo), where Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin practiced alchemy and wrote his works, and Chongxu Temple is a relic of his prese…
Daoism entered Guangxi with the southward migration of Han Chinese from the Tang–Song period onward; in the Song dynasty Guilin was the Daoist center of western Lingnan. …
Daoism came to Guizhou with Ming-dynasty garrison troops and Han Chinese immigrants; in the Ming and Qing, Guiyang, Zunyi, Anshun, Zhenyuan and other places built Xuanmia…
Daoism came to Hainan with Fujianese and Cantonese immigrants from the Song–Yuan period onward. Bai Yuchan of the Southern Song was a native of Qiongshan and one of the F…
Daoism entered the Korean peninsula from the Three Kingdoms period (when Tang envoys transmitted the Daodejing under King Yeongnyu of Goguryeo); Goryeo established Daoist…
Hebei was the homeland of the Way of Great Peace (Taiping Dao): under the Eastern Han, Zhang Jiao of Julu (in the area of present-day Pingxiang, Xingtai) propagated his t…
Henan is the homeland of Laozi (Taiqing Palace, Luyi) and an important cradle of early Daoism: one of the core areas of Zhang Jiao's uprising of the Way of Great Peace wa…
The Netherlands is one of the major centers of Daoist scholarship in Europe: Kristofer Schipper served as a professor at Leiden University, which has a deep tradition of …
Heilongjiang is one of the provinces where Daoism arrived latest: it was introduced from Shandong and Hebei by migrants 'crossing into Guandong' in the late Qing and earl…
Hubei is centered on the Wudang Mountains. The Wudang Mountains (Mount Taihe) are the sacred site of the Great Emperor Zhenwu; a Wulong Shrine already stood there in the …
Daoism in Hunan is centered on Mount Heng (the Southern Peak). Mount Heng is the Southern Peak among the Five Marchmounts; Nanyue Great Temple (first built in the Tang) h…
Daoism in Jilin is mainly Quanzhen Longmen-lineage Daoism transmitted north from the Taiqing Palace system in Shenyang, Liaoning, since the Qing. In the Qianlong reign of…
Canadian Daoism consists mainly of two strands: temples and clan-association shrines founded by Chinese laborers in Victoria and Vancouver in the late nineteenth century,…
Cambodia's ethnic Chinese are predominantly of Teochew origin; temples such as Bun Thau Kong Temple, Tianhou temples, Guandi temples, and charitable halls (such as the Te…
Jiangsu is the core region of the Shangqing school and of Jiangnan Zhengyi Daoism. Mount Mao (Maoshan, or Gouqu Mountain) in Jurong has been the ancestral platform of the…
Jiangxi is the stronghold of talismanic Daoism: Mount Longhu is the ancestral court of Zhengyi Celestial Master Daoism, where Zhang Daoling is said to have practiced alch…
Liaoning is the center of Quanzhen Daoism in the Northeast. In the Kangxi reign of the Qing, the Longmen-lineage priest Guo Shouzhen founded Taiqing Palace in Shenyang, t…
Malaysian Chinese (about 23% of the population, 2020) generally practice a blend of Buddhism, Daoism and popular religion; the country has several thousand Chinese temple…
Mauritian Chinese (mostly Hakka from Meixian, Guangdong) built the Kwan Tee Pagoda (Old Guandi Temple, 1842, one of the oldest Chinese temples in the southern hemisphere)…
American Daoism follows two distinct strands. The first consists of temples founded by Chinese immigrants from the mid-nineteenth century onward (the Tin How Temple in Sa…
Peru has the oldest Chinese community in Latin America (indentured Chinese laborers arriving from 1849); near Lima's Chinatown and the Sociedad Central de Beneficencia Ch…
Myanmar's ethnic Chinese (of both Yunnanese and Hokkien-Cantonese origin) have built temples in Yangon, Mandalay, Lashio and elsewhere, including the Guandi Qingfu Gong (…
South African Chinese (nineteenth-century migrants from Guangdong, twentieth-century migrants from Taiwan, and more recent migrants from the mainland) maintain shrines to…
Historically, Tibetan Buddhism and shamanic belief predominated in the Inner Mongolia region; Daoism was introduced to the Hetao, Tumed, Chifeng and Hulunbuir areas by mi…
Daoism came to Ningxia with garrison and reclamation immigrants of the Ming and Qing; Yinchuan, Zhongwei, Guyuan and other places once had Yuhuang Pavilions, City God tem…
Portugal has had indirect contact with Daoism through its historical ties to Macau: from the sixteenth century missionaries recorded the A-Ma Temple of Macau and Chinese …
Qinghai is a multiethnic region predominantly Tibetan Buddhist and Muslim; Daoism entered the Hehuang valley with Han Chinese immigrants and garrison troops of the Ming a…
Daoism has never taken root in Japan as an independent religious organization, but Daoist elements are deeply woven into Japanese culture: Onmyōdō (which absorbed the Fiv…
The spread of Daoism in Switzerland is linked to Jungian psychology (its interpretation of The Secret of the Golden Flower and the Yijing) and to oriental studies in Gene…
Shandong is the birthplace of Quanzhen Daoism: in the seventh year of the Dading era of the Jin (1167), Wang Chongyang traveled east to Ninghai (Muping) to teach the Dao,…
Shanxi was one of the core regions where Quanzhen Daoism spread in its early period, and is the province that preserves the richest Yuan-dynasty Daoist art. Yongle Palace…
Shaanxi is a major cradle of Daoism and the site of several ancestral temples: Louguantai in Zhouzhi is traditionally held to be where Laozi expounded the Daodejing; the …
Daoism in Shanghai belongs to the Jiangnan Zhengyi tradition. Since the Ming and Qing, the City God Temple (dedicated to Qin Yubo, built in the Yongle reign of the Ming) …
Sichuan is the birthplace of Daoism. Under Emperor Shun of the Eastern Han, Zhang Daoling founded the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice at Mount Heming (in Dayi), establishin…
Daoism in Taiwan derives from Ming- and Qing-dynasty migrants from Fujian and Guangdong, centered on fire-dwelling Zhengyi priests — 'black-head' priests who preside over…
Thailand's ethnic Chinese (mostly of Teochew origin) are numerous and highly integrated into Thai society; religiously they mostly combine Theravada Buddhism with Chinese…
Daoism in Tianjin flourished during the Ming and Qing eras of canal transport and Hai River commerce, with the cult of Mazu (Tianhou) coexisting alongside Daoist temples.…
Daoism spreads in Spain mainly through taijiquan, qigong and Daoist philosophy; from the 2010s onward, formally registered Daoist religious organizations have appeared, s…
Tibet is predominantly Tibetan Buddhist and Bon, and Daoism has never formed a religious organization within Tibetan society historically. Knowledge from Han China such a…
Daoism in Hong Kong derives mainly from Quanzhen Longmen Daoist halls, Xiantiandao, and Lü Dongbin spirit-writing altars transmitted from Guangdong in the late Qing and R…
Singapore is the only country in the world that lists 'Daoism' as a distinct category in its census, with a stable proportion of adherents. After Chinese immigration bega…
Historically, Xinjiang has been dominated by Buddhism, Manichaeism, and Islam; Daoism entered the northern Tianshan region with Han-Tang military-agricultural garrisons a…
Chinese communities in New Zealand have settled since the Otago Gold Rush of the 1860s, and most early temples have since disappeared; in the late twentieth century, immi…
Daoism in Italy is distinguished by native convert organizations: the Chiesa Taoista d'Italia (Italian Taoist Church), formally established in 2013 by Vincenzo Di Ieso an…
The religious practice of Indonesia's ethnic Chinese (about 2.8 million in the 2010 census, likely more in reality) is centered on 'Tridharma' temples (klenteng/vihara) t…
Daoism has spread in Britain mainly through two channels: the Guandi and Mazu shrines of the Chinese communities in London, Manchester, and Liverpool, and, since the 1970…
Historically part of the Sinographic cultural sphere, Vietnam saw Daoism introduced during the period of Chinese rule; under the Lý and Trần dynasties it stood alongside …
Daoism came to Yunnan with Han Chinese immigrants of the Yuan and Ming; from the Ming dynasty onward, the Longmen lineage of Quanzhen and Zhengyi Daoism coexisted, and th…
Daoism has deep roots in Zhejiang: Wei Boyang of the Eastern Han (a native of Kuaiji) wrote the Zhouyi Cantong Qi; Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin practiced alchemy at Gebei H…