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hereafter Jade Fascicles) in two volumes, and had it printed in
his principality in Nanchang 南昌 in present-day Jiangxi
江西 province. In the preface, Zhu claims that Daoism is
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the true faith of China and he, as a transcendent being, has
composed the book to reveal the essence of the Dao and
facilitate its dissemination in this world. This
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encyclopaedic work presents Daoist teaching in all its
aspects, including codes and regulations of major areas of
Daoist liturgies. What demands particular attention is the
chapter on rituals for making offerings to the divine. It
stipulates the proper temple setting dedicated to the Dark
Emperor, which should include the following:
The Hall of the Dark Emperor should have the gods of the
Thunder Division sculpted on either side; it should have the
narrative of the Dark Emperor perfecting himself painted on
the interior walls.
玄帝殿兩旁當塑雷部諸神，殿內壁上當畫玄帝修真事跡。 41

Zhu Quan’s instruction no longer mentions the presence
of the four attendants (Numinous Official, Jade Maiden,
Flag Holder and Sword Holder), but explicitly specifies
thunder marshals as the retinue of Zhenwu in a temple
setting. As Lucille Chia and Richard Wang have aptly
noted, Ming princes produced books primarily aimed at the
emperor, their imperial relatives and literati acquaintances,
rather than a general audience. Thus the target audience of
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the Jade Fascicles was likely to be the Ming emperor and the
Plate 15.9 Zhenwu (Perfected Warrior) as Supreme Emperor of the imperial family. His specification can be considered as his
Dark Heaven (Xuantian Shangdi 玄天上帝), early 15th century. appeal for imperial recognition of thunder marshals as the
Hanging scroll, ink and colour on silk, height 132cm, width 98cm.
Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, George and dark troops of Zhenwu. His appeal was echoed favourably
Mary Rockwell Fund 2000.003 by the printing of the Ming Daoist Canon by the imperial
court one year later.
The printing of the Golden Writings can be considered as In 1445, the Ming Daoist Canon, first compiled under the
Zhou’s attempt to legitimise the pivotal role of the thunder prescript of the Yongle emperor in 1406, was finally
marshals in the imperial cult of Zhenwu. It also brought completed after 40 years of editorial work. It consists of 5,305
about the consolidation of the hierarchical relationship volumes in 480 boxes. The first volume of scriptures in
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between Zhenwu and the individualised thunder marshals each box opens with a frontispiece, a rectangular pictorial
at the national level. composition covering seven leaves. An example taken from a
Zhou Side’s effort was seconded by Zhu Quan 朱權 fragmentary Ming-dynasty set of the Daoist Canon
(1378–1448), Prince Xian of Ning 寧獻王, ten years later. collected in Baiyun guan 白雲觀 (White Cloud Monastery),
Zhu was the younger brother of the Yongle emperor and one Beijing (Pl. 15.10), shares close similarities with the Wanli
of the most renowned Daoists from the first generation of period reprint of the Daoist Canon dated 1598, now
Ming princes. In 1444, Zhu Quan completed the Jade preserved in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris.
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Fascicles of Great Clarity on the Ultimate Way of the Heavenly The frontispiece shows a perfected being kneeling before the
Sovereign (Tianhuang zhidao taiqing yuce 天皇至道太清玉冊, Three Pure Ones, the highest gods of the Daoist religion.

Plate 15.10 Frontispiece for a fragmented set of the Ming Daoist Canon, Ming dynasty, probably 16th century. Accordion-bound
woodblock printed book. White Cloud Monastery, Beijing

140 | Ming China: Courts and Contacts 1400–1450