The culturally refined scholar was dedicated to teaching younger people
Min Zhiting, head of the Chinese Taoist Association, has died in Beijing. He was 80.
Master Min, also known by his Taoist name Yuxi, died on Saturday. He spent many years editing Taoist canons, codifying Taoist rites and recording Taoist temple music. He was considered a fine example of the older school of culturally refined Taoist clergy dedicated to passing the tradition to younger generations.
Born in Henan in 1924, he took his vow to become a Taoist priest of the Perfect Purity (Quanzhen) Order when he was 18. In his early years he studied music, Taoist scriptures, astronomy and various forms of traditional arts under renowned masters in Wuhan, Hangzhou and Shanghai.
Since 1951, he spent most of his time in the Eight Immortals Temple in Xian, gradually rising to national prominence as a religious educator and leader. Moving to Beijing in 1985, he served as vice-chairman and later chairman of the Chinese Taoist Association. He was a delegate to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Master Min was a reserved man, but as a national leader of Taoists was often called upon to endorse government policies, especially during the campaign to crack down on the Falun Gong spiritual movement. In his semi-official capacity, he travelled to the United States, along with other religious leaders from China, to bear testimony to the state of religious freedom on the mainland.
In Taoist circles in Hong Kong and Taiwan, he won respect in 1990 for recording 69 variations of the Perfect Purity chant, making it possible for the first time to write a musical score for the chant. Until then, it had been handed down orally from generation to generation.