Lineages Embedded in Temple Networks: Daoism and Local Society in Ming China by Richard G. Wang (review)

Reviewed by: Lineages Embedded in Temple Networks: Daoism and Local Society in Ming China by Richard G. Wang Jacopo Scarin Richard G. Wang, Lineages Embedded in Temple Networks: Daoism and Local Society in Ming China. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Asia Center, 2022. xii, 383 pp. US54. 95 (hb). ISBN 978-0-674-27096-1 This book represents a milestone in the scholarship on Daoism of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Its central thread is the expansion of Liu Yuanran's 劉淵然 (1351–1432) lineages in different areas of the empire from the fourteenth century on, through which the author successfully advances original, comprehensive research on the role of Daoism in local Ming society (p. 17). In addition to discussing specific local institutions related to Liu Yuanran and his disciples, the monograph delves into many broader themes, including the relationships between local Daoist lineages and the central government; Daoist temples and local society; and national Daoist institutions and lineage networks. The lineages embedded in temple networks, mentioned in the title, include all those that recognized Liu Yuanran as their patriarch, regardless of this claim's historical veracity. From the very beginning of the book, the author establishes the double significance of Liu Yuanran, "a Daoist master respected by the courts of five Emperors and a leader of the central state Daoist administration" who "never stopped being involved in grassroots Daoist affairs" (p. 5). Wang demonstrates why Liu Yuanran should be regarded as one of the most influential court Daoists of the first half of the Ming dynasty, an argument that is developed through each successive chapter. Although Liu Yuanran has been mentioned in many previous studies, until now we lacked an English monograph dedicated to his lineage, a void masterfully filled by this volume. The author focuses on three specific Daoist lineages that reportedly had connections with Liu Yuanran: Qingwei 清微, Jingming 淨明, and Quanzhen 全真. Some of them had historical ties with the Daoist master, while in other cases (especially for Quanzhen) the links were established a posteriori, as Wang clearly demonstrates. The book is divided into eight chapters. Chapters 1 to 4 discuss the relationship between Daoism and the state, while the last four focus on activities of specific Daoist lineages in their local contexts. The first chapter is dedicated to the study of the most influential Daoist lineages of the Ming dynasty, which provides the necessary context for the analysis of Liu Yuanran's life and legacy. In addition to expounding on the lineages' general histories, including their genesis and development, this chapter undertakes the commendable task of studying the economic and legal conditions under which Daoist lineages existed. It details the structure of the Daoist lineages of Longhushan 龍虎山 (Wang distinguishes between the Longhushan "superlineage, " along with its three lineages Ziwei 紫微, Lingyang 靈陽, and Xujing 虛靖, and their numerous branches), the administrative organization of the Heavenly Masters, and the lineages' estates and buildings on and around Longhushan. The chapter then discusses the "Qingwei lineages, " a term that Wang specifically uses to refer to the liturgical school's lines of transmission from master to disciple, with special reference to the Wudangshan 武當山 Qingwei lineage established by Zhang Shouqing 張守清 (1314? –1418? ) and to "the most localist" Jingming Zhongxiao Dao 淨明忠孝道 lineage of Jiangxi. In this chapter, Wang advances his hypothesis that religious lineages in late imperial China can be functionally compared to familial lineages and that the two developed in parallel as a means to preserve or accrue elite status. In the second chapter, the author conducts a thorough study of Liu Yuanran's religious background, focusing on his Qingwei and Quanzhen affiliations. He confirms the former by relying on Liu's biography (Changchun Liu Zhenren zhuan 長春劉真人傳) End Page 165 by Hu Yan 胡儼 (1361–1443), but convincingly dismisses the claims connecting Liu Yuanran to the Quanzhen tradition. The development of Liu Yuanran's lineage and its ties with the imperial bureau-cracy and the Heavenly Masters' institutions on Longhushan are discussed in chapter 3. This chapter also introduces major Daoists belonging to Liu Yuanran's lineage who were active during the Ming dynasty at the highest levels of the imperial religious bureaucracy. As the author demonstrates, they "dominated the Central Daoist Registry, at least up. . .