Daoism · Texts & transmission
The Ming Daoist Canon is printed
1445 CE
A major imperial project culminated in the printing of the Zhengtong Daozang. It gathered writings from numerous Daoist traditions and became the surviving foundation of the historical canon. Its preservation gives access to a much wider literature than the familiar early philosophical works.
Why it matters
This collection preserves ritual, meditation, alchemy, and other teachings, reminding readers that the Daodejing is one part of a large religious literary world.
About the date
Publication date; commissioning and editorial work began earlier.