Judith Boltz "The imprint made by Taoist religious traditions on Chinese literary history is easily comparable to the influence of the Judeo-Christian heritage on Western literature. Unfortunately, there has only recently been any sustained interest in pursuing the written tradition of China's higher indigenous religion." (1986). The works of Judith Magee Boltz are actually the essential starting point for the study of Taoist literature. Her interest concentrates on the period that follows the end of the Tang dynasty (907), her major work being A survey of Taoist literature: Tenth to Seventeenth century (1987). The so-called Taoist renaissance of the Song dynasty (960-1279) and the development of new exorcistic rites and techniques is also dealt in works such as Opening the Gates of Purgatory. A Twelfth Century Taoist Meditation Technique for the Salvation of Lost Souls (1983) and Not by the Seal of Office Alone: New Weapons in Battles with the Supernatural (1993). These studies are actually among the most enlightening for anybody interested in Song Taoism and the Shenxiao textual corpus in particular ("Shen-hsiao scriptures became, in fact, an indispensable part of the spiritual legacy of Sung").

Women scholars Many of the most important experts in the field of Taoist studies are women, all of them authors of essential and brilliant works on Taoism. We dedicate this page to a few representative names among women scholars, listing some of their most important publications.

Catherine Despeux Catherine Despeux is the author of Immortelles de la Chine ancienne: Taoisme et alchimie féminine (1990), a reference work on female position in the different Taoist traditions. Long-life techniques, including gymnastics, martial arts and internal alchemy are her major interest; among her publications, Physiologie et alchimie taoiste. Le Weisheng shenglixue mingzhi (1979) and L'ordination des femmes taoistes sous le Tang (1986).

Isabelle Robinet Isabelle Robinet lived and worked in Paris and Aix-en-Provence. The first part of her work is focused on Shangqing Taoism: A Study of the Relationship between the Shang-ch'ing Movement and the Tradition of the fang-shih (1979, paper for the "Third International Conference of Taoist Studies"), Le Ta-t'ung chen-ching - son authenticité et sa place dans les textes du Shang-ch'ing (1983), La révélation du Shangqing dans l'histoire du Taoïsme (1984), Visualization and Ecstatic Flight in Shangqing Taoism (1989). She also contributed to the study of inner alchemy with the following works: L'alchimie interne dans le Taoisme (1986), Original Contribution of neidan to Taoism and Chinese Thought (1989), Recherche sur l'alchimie intérieure (neidan) - L'école Zheng-yuan (1990). She is best known for her Histoire du Taoisme des origines au XIV siecle (1991), translated in several languages.

Anna Seidel Anna Seidel (1938-1991) studied Taoism and Chinese religions in Paris with Max Kaltenmark and Rolf Stein. She lived for more than twenty years in Kyoto where she took part in compiling the Hôbôgirin, an encyclopedic dictionary of Buddhist terminology. In 1984 she started the publication of Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie, one of the most important periodicals in the field of East-Asia religions. Taoismus, die inoffizielle Hochreligion Chinas (1990) is a synthesis of Anna Seidel's work, basically devoted to demonstrate the fundamental role of Taoism - "the unofficial religion" - in Chinese history and society. Her doctoral dissertation, La divination de Lao tseou dans le Taoïsme des Han (1969), describes for the first time the birth of religious Taoism itself. Among her several works: The Image of the Perfect Ruler in Early Taoist Messianism: Lao tzu and Li Hung (1970), Der Kaiser und sein Ratgeber: Lao tzu und der Taoismus der Han-Zeit (1978), Imperial Treasures and Taoist Sacraments: Taoist Roots in the Apocrypha (1983), Taoist Messianism (1983), Post-mortem Immortality, or the Taoist Resurrection of the Body (1987), Chronicle of Taoist Studies in the West, 1950-1990 (1990).

 

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Sinophilia was born in 1998 as a meeting-point for China-lovers. In these years we have managed to build a database of essential information on the Chinese culture, adding here and there a few more specific essays on Chinese art, history, language and religions, and some useful tools.

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