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Daoist Scriptures are both the written records of Daoist teachings and records of Daoist history. In the course of their origination, formation and evolution, they have been classified according to specific categories to form the Daoist Canon (道藏 Daozang). During this process, their social influence spread. Some Daoist scriptures even spread overseas so as to promote the cultural communication between China and foreign countries. In addition to their religious value, Daoist scriptures are also valuable as historic materials in Chinese social history and history of philosophy. What is even more valuable is that a large quantity of Chinese ancient technological data indispensable to the study of Chinese technological history has been kept in Daoist scriptures. Plenty of precious materials about Chinese ancient literature and arts can also be found in Daoist scriptures. As a “museum” of Chinese traditional culture, Daoist scriptures are all-inclusive. They are a treasure for us to understand not only Daoism but also Chinese culture.
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