What influence does Taoism have on China in literature and art?
In terms of literature and art, Li Bai, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty, was deeply influenced by Taoism. He has traveled around the world, seeking immortals to visit Taoism, and even being an alchemist. He can be said to be a devout Taoist. In the process of seeking immortality, he traveled all over the five mountains and brought him a lot of materials. Concepts such as "immortality" and "feathering" often appear in his poems. The Journey to the West, one of China's four classical literary masterpieces, tells the story of four people, including the Buddhist Tang Priest, who went to the Western Heaven to learn Buddhist scriptures. However, Taoist concepts such as ape, horse, goddess and yuan god are widely used in the book, and a Taoist god and official system with the jade emperor as the core are also constructed. The most famous novel with Taoism as its core is Romance of Gods. The essence of the Shang and Zhou wars described in the book is the dispute between the two factions of Taoism about the interpretation and interception of religion. All kinds of fairy treasures in the book also belong to the Taoist system. Taoist alchemy has an important influence on the invention of gunpowder. Some sects in Taoism pass on some martial arts and qigong from master to apprentice. For example, the Wutang School, a famous martial art, is said to have been handed down by many Taoist priests on Wudang Mountain. Among them, simple Wushu routines like Tai Ji Chuan have gradually become people's daily fitness activities. Taoist Qigong is also a major school of Qigong in China. The cultivation method of Quanzhen Daoism is basically Qigong, which has made great contributions to the exploration and development of Qigong. Taoist regimen also inherits and develops the collateral theory in Huangdi Neijing, a traditional medicine in China. In addition, there are many Taoist priests who study medical skills and have made great contributions to the development of Chinese medicine, such as Ge Hong and Tao Hongjing.