The Taoism in traditional Chinese culture, including Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism, has somewhat declined in China, although Tai Chi has taken root and flourished around the world. You may not have thought that Chinese Taoism is being developed by an American disciple in Seattle, USA, who is the famous 21st generation disciple of Quanzhen Taoism, Mo Chenghua.

From May 30 to June 3 (Beijing time), Zhang Mingxin, President of the Qingcheng Mountain Taoist Association in Chengdu, China, led a delegation of 28 people including Taoist Priests of all temples of the Qingcheng Mountain Taoist Association to Seattle, where they hosted the Kaiguangyi ceremony on June 1-6/3 for the Xuanxiu Palace of Taoist Priest Mo Chenghua, an American disciple who carried forward Taoist culture. Mo Chenghua, Dean of the Seattle Taoist College, Abbot of Xuanxiu Palace and Taoist Priest Zhicheng, held a welcoming ceremony at the Seattle Taoist College on Wednesday evening, May 30, and communicated with the visiting Chinese Taoist Association of Qingcheng Mountain. Mo Chenghua is the 21st generation disciple of the Quanzhen Longmen Sect. He began to study in the mainland in 1981 and was familiar with Chinese, Tai Chi, Chinese medicine, ancient zither and other knowledge. In 2008, he built a scarf at the Qingcheng Mountain Palace.

(On the evening of May 30, Mo Chenghua, president of the American Taoist Academy, abbot of Xuanxiu Palace, and head of Zhicheng Taoist Temple, held a welcoming ceremony at the Taoist Academy, and communicated with the visiting guests of the Qingcheng Mountain Taoist Association.)

(The Seattle Taoist Academy houses Taoist deities such as the Three Pure Ancestors, Emperor Zhenwu, and the True Compassionate Immortal)

In China, Tai Chi is mostly just a fitness method that competes with square dancing. However, on the other side of the ocean, there is still a group of people who silently persist in their journey of seeking enlightenment. Harrison Moretz's Chinese name is Mo Chenghua. He is a descendant of Chen's Tai Chi and a disciple of Feng Zhiqiang, the founder of Heart Mixing Tai Chi Mo Chenghua grew up in Indiana, USA. In 1981, he went to mainland China to study and improve Chinese, Tai Chi, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Feng Shui, Guqin, and other skills. In 1991, he returned from China to Seattle, USA to establish the Taoist Academy and taught for over 20 years. This is a non-profit organization for people to practice, cultivate, and learn Taoist culture. The Seattle Taoist Academy is located in a quiet neighborhood in the northern part of downtown Seattle, using an old church space. Most of the students in the Taoist College are Americans, and their main courses are Tai Chi and Qigong. They come to study for different reasons, some to maintain physical health, some to learn and improve martial arts skills, and some to practice as meditation and practice.

Mo Chenghua adheres to the principles of Taoism in terms of clothing, ritual norms, and lifestyle. He said, "The two important ideas of Taoism are nature and non action. The basic principle of Taoism is health preservation, while Western culture is consumption, harvest, and continuous growth. This is where the problem lies." The wall of the Seattle Taoist Academy features traditional Chinese paintings. The students here are of different ages and professions, some just starting out while others have been practicing for several years. People at different stages can find suitable courses, including qigong and tai chi classes that are suitable for everyone to practice, as well as advanced push hand classes and specialized study classes such as turtle and snake qigong. There is a plaque hanging on the wall of the classroom that reads' Dao follows nature ', and students practice Chen's Tai Chi 48 exercises together. After regular practice, due to differences in everyone's level, they will be dispersed and guided separately by the teacher. There are about 80 students in the college, many of whom come to class almost every day to practice, and some even come once in the morning and once in the evening.

Mo Chenghua established a Taoist academy in Seattle and became a traditional Taoist priest in China

More than three years ago, Mo Chenghua began building a Taoist temple called "Xuanxiu Palace" on a piece of land north of Seattle. He hopes to bring the Taoist tradition to the United States and provide a specialized place for people to practice. Many furniture items are purchased from China, and all buildings adopt traditional Chinese architectural styles. The "Shanmen" project they built received funding on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter. The Xuanxiu Palace covers an area of 30 acres, with forests, ponds, and streams where small animals roam. Ornamental column and Fangan are planned in front of the gate, representing the secular world, while the back hall of the gate symbolizes the fairyland. When it comes to the original intention of building Taoist temples, Mo Chenghua said, "In China, there are many Taoist places dedicated to people practicing martial arts. How can we establish this tradition? With people, we need places for people to practice and cultivate." During the reign of Emperor Wu of Zhou, Taoist activity sites were renamed "Guan", meaning to observe the stars and the moon, so they were often built on mountaintops.

(Site selection and construction of Xuanxiu Palace)

Mo Chenghua built a traditional Chinese style pavilion in the Xuanxiu Palace, with a plaque inscribed with the words' Embracing the Qin Pavilion '. In addition, there are gas production platforms and static chambers. In the Tang Dynasty, the Taoist temple was called "Palace". The layout of Taoist buildings was greatly influenced by the palace. In front of it were the mountain gate, ornamental column, and the flag pole. This was the secular world, and behind the ornamental column flag pole was the fairyland. Each hall progresses along the central axis. The architecture of Xuanxiu Palace is very exquisite, with many furniture, plaques, and couplets purchased from China. Mo Chenghua and his wife often come to take care of the 'Xuanxiu Palace'. 'Fifty years, one hundred years, I don't know how long it will take to build the' Xuanxiu Palace '. So I must maintain my health so that I can continue to build it.' Currently, the palace is being constructed in an orderly manner under the leadership of the city governor Mo Chenghua.

The grand and enthusiastic consecration ceremony of Xuanxiu Palace

[Seattle Chinese Radio reported that some photos and text of this article were from the Qingcheng Mountain Taoist Association and the Chinese Business Daily]

Source: Seattle Chinese Radio

In June 2018, the Seattle Taoist Academy built the Xuanxiu Palace under the leadership of American disciple Harrison Moretz and held a consecration ceremony. This Taoist temple adopts traditional Chinese architectural style and aims to provide a place for local residents to practice and learn Taoist culture.