Huang Chuping (Great Immortal Huang)

Background of Huang Chuping (Great Immortal Huang)

Huang Chuping (Great Immortal Huang), a Daoist priest of the Jin Dynasty and a celebrated Daoist Immortal, was born in Jinhua, Zhejiang. At the age of fifteen, he was asked by his family to lead the sheep to pasture. Some Daoists noticed his pure and good nature and kind and cautious conduct, and therefore led him into a stone cave in Jinhua Mountain, where he studied and practiced Daoist techniques and attained Immortality.

Salvation ( 度 Du ) of his brother, who attains Immortality ( 成仙 Chengxian )

Forty-odd years had passed since Huang Chuping entered the mountain studying Dao. His elder brother Huang Chuqi went there in order to find Chuping but was unsuccessful for years. Later, he met with a Daoist at the market, who was good at divination. The Daoist told him where Chuping was living and led him into Mt. Jinhua to find him. In the presence of his brother, Huang Chuping commanded numerous white stones to change into tens of thousands of sheep. Seeing Huang Chuping's vast magic powers, Huang Chuqi came to yearn for Dao. So he abandoned his wife and children, and stayed with Chuping, following him in studying and practicing Daoist techniques. Together they took rosin and poria coccus. Five thousand days later, they were able to sit visible and rise invisible, and they had no shadow when walking under the sun and looked like children. Afterwards, they returned together to their hometown, and then returned to Mt. Jinhua when they found that almost all of their relatives and friends had passed away. Just before parting, they granted their secret prescription to Nan Bofeng and changed his name to Chi Chuping and his style to Chisongzi, and Chuqi changed his style to Lu Ban. Dozens of those who taught and took Huang Chuping's elixirs later became Immortals.

Spread of the belief

In the Jin dynasty (AD 265-420), Chisong Temple was once built on the Northern Hill of Mt. Jinhua, and was considered to be "the most magnificent of the Daoist temples South of the Yangtze River". Belief in Great Immortal Huang was widespread in Southeast China in old times, and it gradually spread overseas as Chinese went abroad for a living. Now the Temple of Great Immortal Huang ( 黃大仙廟 Huangdaxian Miao ) in Hong Kong, where a good number of pilgrims worship all year round, is the most famous shrine devoted to him. zh:黃初平(黃大仙)