Yidai Tianshi: Zhang Enpu yu Taiwan Daojiao 弌代天師: 張恩溥 與臺灣道教 by Li Li-Liang 李麗涼 (review)

Abstract

166 Journal of Chinese Religions Daoxue tonglun 道学通论 HU FUCHEN 胡孚琛. Beijing: Shehui kexue wenxian chubanshe 社会科学文 献出版社, 2009. x, 506 pages. ISBN 978-7-5097-0814-9. RMB 59.00. Hu Fuchen is one of China’s best-known Daoist scholars and an activist eager to accord Daoism a greater role in contemporary Chinese life. Here he offers Daoism (daoxue, not daojiao) as a “cultural strategy in the 21st century.” Writing that “national cultures are under a tide of globalization,” he says daoxue can provide a way for the Chinese people (zhonghua minzu 中华民族) to “reconstruct its spirit.” The book is mainly a summary of basic Daoist knowledge. There is a sketch history of religious Daoism (daojiao), a chapter on Daoist techniques (fangshu 方术) such as fasting, a chapter on cultivation and an introduction to the Daoist Canon. He says Daoism must reinvent itself for the modern era and offers daoxue as an alternative. The book can be seen as an effort to include Daoism in the guoxue 国学 (national learning) movement and thus make it part of the government’s push to restore certain parts of traditional Chinese culture. IAN JOHNSON, Beijing Yidai Tianshi: Zhang Enpu yu Taiwan Daojiao 弌代天師：張恩溥 與臺灣道教 LI LI-LIANG 李麗涼. Taipei: National History Office, 2012. 456 pages. ISBN 978-986-03-3103-5. NT$350. This in-depth study of the 63rd Heavenly Master Zhang Enpu 張恩溥 (1894–1969) represents a major accomplishment in the field of Daoist Studies. One of the book’s most noteworthy features is its interdisciplinary approach, with Li making apt use of a wide range of documents as well as extensive field research. She also deserves special credit for collecting many valuable texts from Zhang’s descendents (including even family letters!), as well as numerous photographs. All in all, this book, which earned a research award from Taiwan’s National History Office, promises to be of great benefit to the study of modern Taiwanese religions. Yidai Tianshi is divided into a total of twelve chapters, including the Introduction and Conclusion. Chapters 2–4 examine the history of Zhang’s links to Taiwan, as well as the Book Notes 167 factors underlying his decision to move there in 1949. The Daoist movements he helped establish in Taiwan are treated in chapter 5, while chapter 6 describes the master-disciple networks formed under his leadership. Following chapter 7, which includes information on the reprinting of the Daoist Canon (Daozang 道藏), chapter 8 features a wide-ranging exploration of Zhang’s participation in ritual activities sponsored and/or patronized by officials, local temples, and families. Zhang’s interactions with various sectarian groups like the Yiguandao 一貫道 and Cihuitang 慈惠堂 are the subject of chapter 9, and chapter 10 examines his efforts in proselytizing overseas. The final chapter focuses on his passing away and the complex succession struggle that ensued. All in all, the detailed descriptions and sensitive analysis presented in Yidai Tianshi mark a significant step forward in our understanding of the history of modern Daoism. At the same time, however, this work suffers from one major shortcoming, namely Li’s failure to cite or systematically discuss relevant secondary scholarship, not to mention the state of the field of Daoist Studies. Most striking is the utter neglect of Wang Chien-chuan’s 王見川 doctoral dissertation, which is directly related to this book’s topic, as well as his 2009 paper on the links between Taiwanese Daoist priests and the Heavenly Masters.1 Vincent Goossaert’s work on Heavenly Master Daoism is similarly ignored. 2 The author also missed a valuable opportunity to consider her findings in light of those published by other scholars who have done research on modern Daoism, especially Kenneth Dean, Liu Xun 劉迅, David Palmer, etc. Similarly, in chapter 9, Li might have analyzed the links between Daoism and sectarian movements based on relevant research by Philip Clart, Prasenjit Duara, and Thomas DuBois, as well as key works by Japanese scholars. Perhaps even more importantly, even the limited amount of secondary scholarship mentioned in the book’s Introduction is only perfunctorily summarized or cited in the notes, without any attempt to assess its overall significance. Li’s neglect of relevant research results in no way detracts from her book’s many contributions. Nonetheless, it...