The History of Taoism There is a dispute on the origins of Taoism. One theory is the earliest known Taoist text may be the work of a minister of the ruler of the Shang-Yin dynasty in the eighteenth century B.C. The other theory is that it was began by the mentor of the father of the Chou dynasty in the twelfth century. What is known is that, Li Erh (6th century BCE) who is …showed first 75 words of 896 total…

…showed last 75 words of 896 total…Ta Sung t'ien-kung pao-tsang (Precious Canon of the Celestial Palace of the Great Sung). Between 1101 and 1125, emperor Sung Hui-tsung, believing he was the incarnate of a deity, thought compiling a compilation of Taoist texts was his sacred mission. It became the Cheng-ho wan-shou Tao-tsang (Taoist Canon of Longevity of the Cheng-ho reign). Throughout Chinese history there have been many instances of emperors and ministers, who have sought to collect the many interpretations of Taoist text