Daoism

An ancient Chinese tradition of philosophy and religious belief, Daoism first appeared more than two thousand years ago. For centuries it was the most popular religion in China; in the West its religious aspects are not as well known as its practices, which include meditation and Feng Shui, and for its most celebrated text, the Daodejing. The central aim in Daoism is to follow the 'Dao', a word which roughly translates as 'The Way'. Daoists believe in following life in its natural flow, what they refer to as an 'effortless action'. This transcendence can be linked to Buddhism, the Indian religion that came to China in the 2nd century BC and influenced Daoism - an exchange which went both ways. Daoism is closely related to, but has also at times conflicted with, the religion of the Chinese Imperial court, Confucianism. The spirit world is of great significance in Daoism, and its hierarchy and power often take precedence over events and people in real life.

This is far from a comprehensive list, but here are a few ways in which Daoism connects to topics covered in AP World History: Modern.

• Gunpowder

  • • the earliest known reference to gunpowder appeared in 142 CE during the Han dynasty when the alchemist Wei Boyang wrote about its properties in a Daoist text on the subject of alchemy.

    • the oldest known weaponized application of gunpowder is from the Song dynasty era.

    • as these weapons evolved, they would come to be adopted by the Mongols, and diffused across central Asia following the Mongol conquest.

• Medicine

  • • Huangdineijing (The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine)-the earliest surviving medical book from the 3rd century BCE

    • Acupuncture is believed to have originated around 100 BC in China

      • • Acupuncture spread first to Korea in the 6th century AD, then to Japan through medical missionaries. These missionaries were at the forefront of a wave of diffusion of Chinese culture to Korea and Japan.

• Literature

  • • Buddhism and its writings in China was translated by Daoist monks

    • Daoist adoption of Buddhist monastic practices contributed to the adoption of Buddhism following the collapse of the Han dynasty