The Rise and Fall of the Maoshan Arts in Chinese Esoteric Culture

Tao temple in clouds

The Origins of Maoshan Arts

Taoism is a unique religious culture of China, with Lao Tzu as its founder. Taoism reveres nature, and the “Five Arts” of Taoism—”Mountain, Medicine, Life, Appearance, and Divination”—are extremely important components of traditional culture. These arts are considered the main classifications of a vast and complex esoteric system (known as fangshu before the Qin and Han dynasties, and as witchcraft in the West). Generally, the five categories include “Mountain” (cultivation of immortality), Medicine, Life, Appearance, and Divination. Within the “Mountain” art, there is a branch known for its practice of magic spells and talismans, such as the Hehe Shu and other techniques collectively referred to as Maoshan Arts. These arts are an ancient Taoist cultivation and magic system, named after Mount Mao in present-day Jiangsu Province, China. It is said that this mountain is where Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism, received teachings from the Nine Heavens Mysterious Maiden (Jiutian Xuannü), making it the birthplace of Maoshan Arts. Due to this origin, these arts are also known as “Nine Heavens Esoteric Arts” or Yunu Xishen Arts.