Hi all, Las Lohl Montgomery here, back once again to another, if I may be so presumptuous, exciting

episode of the China History Podcast.

Today is sort of a light day again. You can't eat peeking duck every day.

Sometimes there's a need for some chutes high and that day is today. Some vegan fare.

We're going to finish off our little survey or whatever you want to call it of

Taoism in China. We first looked at the proto-Daoism period with Laudza and

Twansi. Then we looked at the classical period of Taoism, which ran from the Han to the Tang. You know, I didn't really keep going after that.

Song, Gwen, Ming, Ching. Lots of good stuff, but, well well I just had to make an executive decision as to Cider

in charge.

So today, rather than look at the more modern history of Taoism, we're instead going to focus on the ones who are the most

key gods and Taoist mythology. So we'll look mostly at the eight

immortals in general and with maybe a special emphasis on

Jong-Lichuen and you don't bing.

A lot of people like me who lived in the Chinese speaking

part of Asia for a long time.

Wherever we went in every home or apartment shop meat market public building wherever

We were surrounded with all these images of Taoist deities. This included statues, paintings, advertisements, and the like.

Honestly, I saw them and I couldn't distinguish which one was which and

what was this guy's backstory? This was pre- Podcasting days. There was no, there was no China

history podcast back then to sort them all out and offer up the skinny on each one and maybe in form where I might have seen

this particular deity before or where have I seen those eight gods in the boat before?

In Taoism you can't get any higher than the San Ching, the three pure ones.

...