Longhu Mountain Taoist Talismans: The Mystical Heritage of Chinese Culture

In the brilliant galaxy of Chinese Taoist culture, Longhu Mountain Taoist talismans shine like a mysterious pearl, carrying a thousand years of historical accumulation and cultural codes. As the ancestral home of the Zhengyi sect of Taoism, the culture of talismans in Longhu Mountain is not only an important part of religious rituals but also reflects the unique Chinese understanding of cosmic order, the essence of life, and supernatural forces.​

The origin of Longhu Mountain talismans can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. When Zhang Daoling practiced alchemy and preached in Longhu Mountain, he integrated ancient witchcraft, the theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements with Taoist thought, creating the system of Taoist talismans. Early talismans were made with cinnabar as ink and yellow paper as the carrier, building a mysterious bridge to communicate between humans and gods, exorcise evil spirits, and pray for blessings through specific characters, symbols, and stroke directions. Classics such as Taiping Jing and Zhengtong Daozang detail the drawing standards and usage taboos of Longhu Mountain talismans. Their characters are mostly transformed from seal scripts, retaining the ideographic function of Chinese characters while adding transcendental symbolic meanings.​

The mystery of talisman culture first lies in its connection with cosmic order. Taoist priests in Longhu Mountain believe that talismans are the concrete embodiment of “Tao” — the philosophical thought that “Tao produces one, one produces two, two produces three, and three produces all things” is presented through the flow of the lines of the talismans. For example, the drawing of the “house-protecting talisman” must follow the layout of “Tai Chi producing two Yi (Yin and Yang)”. With the central axis as the boundary, the symmetrical lines of the talisman on both sides symbolize the balance of Yin and Yang, and the cloud patterns on the periphery represent the circulation of the Qi (energy) of heaven and earth. This wisdom of transforming abstract philosophy into visual symbols is a vivid interpretation of the concept of “harmony between man and nature” in traditional Chinese culture.​

Throughout history, there have been many magical legends about Longhu Mountain talismans. During the Jiading period of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Jiangnan region suffered from a locust plague, and the farmland had no harvest. Zhang Keda, the 35th Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, was ordered by the emperor to go to relieve the disaster. He drew an “insect-driving talisman” on the altar, wrote it with cinnabar mixed with realgar wine, and then burned the talisman in the fields. According to Longhu Mountain Records, the locusts migrated by themselves three days later, and the disaster was alleviated. Although this case has a legendary color, it reflects the spiritual consolation function of talismans in ancient society — in an era when science was not yet popular, talismans became a psychological support for people to deal with unknown disasters.​

During the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty, after Emperor Chengzu Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing, he heard that Longhu Mountain talismans had the effect of “calming the spirit and stabilizing the house”, so he specially sent imperial envoys to ask for the “Ziwei Talisman”. Celestial Master Zhang Zongyan led his disciples to draw it in the Sanqing Hall, which took seven days to complete. The talisman was based on the Big Dipper, supplemented by symbols of the twenty-eight constellations, and was enshrined in the Qin’an Hall of the Forbidden City. For hundreds of years since then, the Forbidden City has not been destroyed by fire despite wars, and the people have thus attributed it to the protection of the talisman. This case not only reflects the political influence of Longhu Mountain talismans but also reveals its social function as a cultural symbol — it is both a symbol of the legitimacy of imperial power and the people’s yearning for a stable life.​

In terms of cultural connotation, Longhu Mountain talismans contain a rich symbolic system. The common “thunder patterns” in talismans originate from ancient worship of the thunder god, representing that the power of thunder can dispel evil spirits; the “Eight Trigrams symbols” reflect the law of mutual generation and restriction of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements; and the appearance of the characters “Chiling” (imperial order) shows man’s active call to supernatural forces. This cultural creation that integrates natural phenomena, philosophical concepts, and religious appeals shows the Chinese way of cognition that “observing astronomy to perceive the changes of time, and observing humanities to transform the world”.​

In contemporary society, the culture of Longhu Mountain talismans is still full of vitality. In 2011, Longhu Mountain Taoist talismans were included in the national intangible cultural heritage list, and their drawing techniques have been passed down from generation to generation through the master-apprentice system. Today, tourists can still see Taoist priests drawing talismans in the Celestial Master’s Mansion in Longhu Mountain: after cleaning their hands and burning incense, they dip a wolf hair brush in cinnabar, and in a breath of concentration, the talisman is completed in one go on the yellow paper. The whole process is full of a solemn sense of ritual. Although these talismans are no longer regarded as having supernatural power, they have become a carrier for people to experience traditional culture and place good wishes.​

The mystery of Longhu Mountain Taoist talismans is essentially a reflection of the “image-respecting” thinking in Chinese culture — communicating the invisible world through visible symbols and carrying infinite meaning with limited forms. From their creation in the Eastern Han Dynasty to their inheritance in the contemporary era, these symbols between the red brush and yellow paper not only record the development of Taoism but also condense the eternal thinking of the Chinese people on the universe, life, and faith, becoming a mysterious key to interpreting traditional Chinese culture.