Zhang Zhong (,
courtesy name
A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theobald ...
, ) was a Taoist mystic.
Biography
A native of Linchuan in
Jiangxi
Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...
, he was fond of study in his youth, yet failed to take his degree. He then left his books and began roaming over the mountains, where he fell in with a magician who taught him the art. Zhong learned both sides of
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...
: he learned to heal and control of elements of nature. He also learned how to raise the dead, and brainwash people with simple minds into doing his bidding. He became eccentric in manner and took to wearing an iron cap, thereby earning the sobriquet of the Iron-Cap Philosopher.
Popular culture
In the novel ''
The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber'', he is one of the Five Wanderers ().
References
Attribution
Yuan dynasty Taoists
Year of death unknown
Year of birth unknown
{{China-hist-stub