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HI SONG Z I 2 71

Chisong zi

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Master Red-Pine

According to his hagiography in the *Liexian zhuan (Biographies of Exemplary
Immortals; trans. Kaltenmark 1953, 35- 42), Chisong zi was the Master of Rain
(*Yushi) for the mythical emperor Shennong ;f$ 11 (Divine Husbandman),
whom he taught a method for imbibing liquid jade, and also instructed the
daughter of another mythical emperor, Yandi ~ * (Fiery Emperor). His main
prowess was self-immolation. These my themes may be remnants of ancient
shamanic rites of immolation and rain making. Referring to Chisong zi's visit
to the Queen Mother of the West (*Xiwang mu) on Mount *Kunlun, the ha-
giography represents late Han conceptualizations of successful adepts.
By the early Han, Chisong zi had become a model for *fangshi seeking to
emulate his attainments. The *Huainan zi (). nand 20) reports that he was
a master of circulation of breath (*xingqi) and other breathing techniques.
In the Shiji (Records of the Historian; 55.2047 and 2049), *Zhang Liang asks
Han Gaozu (r. 202-195 BCE) leave to follow the path of Chisong zi, and he
subsequently quits eating grains (see under *bigu) and begins practicing circu-
lation of breath. Besides these two texts, several other Han sources mention
Chisong zi (frequently together with *Wangzi Qiao) as an exemplary ancient
master who had attained transcendence through self-cultivation. These often
formulaic references, ranging from poems collected in the Chuci ~ rM (Songs
of Chu; trans. Hawkes 1985,82, n6, 139) to inscriptions on Han mirrors, attest
to his popularity during this period.
Taoist texts associate Chisong zi with several methods. The *Lingbao wufo
xu contains herbal recipes and methods which he transmitted to *Yue Zichang
(2.14a; see Yamada Toshiaki 1989b). This text also includes a narrative about
Huang Chuping ~ fJJ.3f who, together with his brother Chuqi fJJ jfQ, had
attained transcendence on Mount Jinhua (Jinhua shan ~* ill, Zhejiang)
and changed his name to Chisong zi (2.13a-14a, see Campany 2002, 309-n).
Mount Jinhua became a cui tic center for the two brothers and Chisong zi. A
related text, theJinhua Chisong shanzhi ~* i/j.;f'~ ill;t (Monograph of Mount
Chisong in the Jinhua Range; CT 601) by Ni Shouyue 15C ~ r.t-J (Southern Song)
begins with the early legends about the two brothers and includes the texts
of imperial enfeoffment dating to n89 and 1263.
In his *Baopu zi, *Ge Hong repeatedly mentions Chisong zi as an exemplary
adept. He also describes his method for an elixir based on herbal substances