The Story of the Wenchang Talisman

During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, Zhou Mingyuan, a scholar from Jiangnan, failed the provincial examination three times in a row. Dejected, he packed his bags and went to the Wenchang Pavilion in Maoshan. Having heard that the Wenchang talismans drawn by the Taoist priests in the pavilion were efficacious, he specifically came to seek one to aid his academic pursuit.​

Qingfeng Daoist, who guarded the pavilion, saw that there was talent in Zhou’s 眉宇 but also a turbid aura, knowing that it was caused by inner demons. The Daoist took out yellow hemp paper and cinnabar, cleansed his hands and burned incense, then began drawing the talisman under the moonlight. As the tip of the brush moved, the characters “Wenchang Emperor” faintly appeared in the talisman, and beside them was a brush hanging in the clouds.​

“This talisman must be treated with sincerity,” the Daoist said, folding the talisman into a triangle. “Recite the Wenchang Emperor’s Yinde Chapter every early morning, and it will take effect after a hundred days.”​

Zhou Mingyuan followed the instructions. At first, there was no difference, but on the thirty-seventh day, while reading at night, he suddenly felt all his tiredness vanish, his mind became clear, and the previously obscure scriptures suddenly made sense. He became more devout, not only studying hard but also often helping neighbors copy books and assist with their studies.​

In that year’s autumn examination, Zhou Mingyuan wrote with exceptional fluency, completing three policy essays in one go. On the day the results were announced, he was indeed admitted as a juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination). When he returned to his hometown and 特意 revisited the Wenchang Pavilion, he found that Qingfeng Daoist had passed away and ascended to immortality, leaving only a note: “The talisman does not help with opportunism, but with sincerity. When you can study with a calm mind and help your neighbors, the God of Literature will shine upon you.”​

Later, Zhou Mingyuan rose to the position of compiler in the Hanlin Academy. He often told students about this experience, saying that the true meaning of the Wenchang talisman was to awaken the aspiration for learning and the kindness in people’s hearts. He enshrined that talisman all his life; although the paper turned yellow, it always emitted a faint red glow of cinnabar.