Taoism Society of the Republic of China中华民国道教会（中华道教总会）

Type

Temples and Abbeys (Gongguan)

Location

Taiwan, China · Taiwan · Da'an District, Taipei · No. 274 Wolong Street

School

Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Daoism, Daoism in Taiwan

First built

February 13, 1966 (founding assembly) · Its predecessors were the 1950 "Taiwan Office of the Celestial Master's Mansion" and the Taiwan Provincial Taoist Society; its first chairman, Zhang Enpu, was elected on July 11, 1968; it additionally registered under the name "Chinese Taoist Association" in 2006

Overview

The Taoism Society of the Republic of China is a cross-denominational, nationwide Daoist organization in Taiwan. It petitioned the competent authorities for organization in 1965, held its founding assembly on February 13, 1966, and elected seven people, including Zhang Enpu, Jiang Bozhang and Zhao Jiazhuo, to its presiding committee; because of disagreement over the method of electing the board of directors and supervisors, the position of chairman remained vacant for some time, and only after mediation was Zhang Enpu, the sixty-third-generation Celestial Master, elected the society's first chairman on July 11, 1968. Its founding core was the Zhengyi tradition, though its membership also came to include Zhengyi Daoist altars and a great many temples of popular religion. Successive chairmen have included Zhang Enpu, Chen Xianzhou, Zhao Jiazhuo, Deng Wenyi, Gao Zhongxin, Chen Jinfu, Zheng Fengshi, Zhang Cheng, and Xu Chunxia. In 1971 the society's board of directors resolved to designate Sanching Temple at Meihua Lake, Yilan, as the "National Grand Temple of Taoism of the Republic of China." To facilitate cross-strait exchange, it additionally registered under the name "Chinese Taoist Association" in 2006, the two names in fact denoting the same organization. It also runs the Chinese Taoist College (1989) and a Youth Committee (2019). Organizations that should not be confused with it include the Chinese Taoist Federation, the Federation of Chinese Taoist Organizations, and the Taiwan Federation of Daoist Lineages, none of which is affiliated with this society.

Highlights

• First chairman Zhang Enpu
• Designated Sanching Temple as the National Grand Temple of Taoism (1971)
• Chinese Taoist College (1989)