Taoism and the arts of China / Stephen Little with Shawn Eichman ; with essays by Patricia Ebrey [and others].

Includes bibliographical references (pages 392-405) and index.

Taoism and the arts of China / Stephen Little -- Taoism: the story of the way / Kristofer Schipper -- Taoist architecture / Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt -- Mapping early Taoist art: the visual culture of Wudoumi Dao / Wu Hung -- Taoism and art at the court of Song Huizong / Patricia Ebrey -- Catalogue of the exhibition. Part I : The formation of the Taoist tradition ; Laozi and the origins of Taoism ; Heaven and Earth : Taoist cosmology ; Sacred mountains and cults of the immortals ; Part II : The Taoist church ; The beginnings of religious Taoism ; Taoist ritual ; The Taoist pantheon ; Part III : The Taoist renaissance ; Taoism and popular religion ; Divine manifestations of Yin : goddesses and female saints ; Zhenwu, the perfected warrior ; Taoist immortals ; Inner alchemy and Its symbolism ; The sacred landscape -- Chinese names and terms.

"Taoism and the Arts of China brings together a collection of art from one of China's most ancient and influential traditions. Produced to accompany the first major exhibition ever organized on the Taoist philosophy and religion, this opulent book includes more than 150 works of art from as early as the late Zhou dynasty (5th-3rd century B.C.) to the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Many of these works are paintings that show the breathtaking range of style and subject that makes the Taoist heritage so rich. Sculpture, calligraphy, rare books, textiles, and ritual objects are also represented." "Like the exhibition, the book is organized thematically. It begins with the sage Laozi, and moves on to explore the birth of religious Taoism and the interaction between Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. A wealth of subjects is covered: the gods of the Taoist pantheon, ritual, the boundaries and intersections between Taoism and popular religion, Taoist immortals and realized beings, the role of alchemy, sacred landscape and its significance, and Taoist temples and their architecture." "Taoism and the Arts of China includes a series of introductory essays by scholars with a deep understanding of their subjects. Among the topics are a historical introduction to Taoism, archaeological evidence for early Taoist art, and a general introduction to the functions of art in religious Taoism. Illustrated with over 230 color images, this volume affords a sweeping view of an artistic terrain that until now has received too little exposure in the West. Its publication constitutes a major advance in Western understanding of this important tradition."--Jacket.