The Tang imperial house, surnamed Li like the sage's own traditional family name, claimed descent from Laozi, and in 666 the emperor Gaozong canonized him with the title Supreme Emperor of Mysterious Origin. The founder of Daoism thereby became the ancestor of China's ruling house, the Daodejing became an examination text, and Daoist priests stood before Buddhist monks in the court's order of precedence for as long as the dynasty lasted.
Tagged: Celestial Masters and Zhengyi Daoism
The Event
- Date
- 666 (exact)
- Era
- Tang Imperial Daoism; Standard periodization of Daoist history
- Location
- Chang'an, the Tang capital; today Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
- Traditions
- Daoism
- Streams
- Celestial Masters and Zhengyi
- Key figures
- Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Laozi
- Key texts
- Daodejing
Primary Sources
- The Tang court record of the canonization of Laozi.
Secondary Sources
- Kirkland, Russell. Taoism: The Enduring Tradition. Routledge, 2004.
- Little, Stephen, and Shawn Eichman. Taoism and the Arts of China. Art Institute of Chicago, 2000.
Provenance: HIST-0808; confidence 0.95; accessed 2026-10-28.
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