Taoism, like other religions, is a social and historical phenomenon with its own development process. The early sects were not formed in the same area at the same time and through the same channel, and there was no unified and stable religious organization for a long time, so it is difficult to determine the upper limit of the history of Taoism in China. There were Floyd School and Dante School in the early days, but their birth process was quite complicated. Dante school pays attention to self-cultivation, and there are internal and external points. & lt Taiping Jing >> With << Zhouyi Shentongqi >> Early Taoist theory began to take shape, but there was no corresponding Taoist organization. & lt Huang tingjing >> there is also the external Dan Jing << Bao puzi. Internal chapter > > Although the social influence is great, its social organization strength is still weak. & gt use < < Zhuangzi > It has also become another important source of Taoism. Thus, the spreading process of Taoism in China is multi-source, multi-channel and gradually closely integrated. The various sects influence each other, but they basically develop independently, and the time is inconsistent, so there is no unified specific time to create religion. There is no unified name for Christian names and believers. The word Taoism can be seen in>. Taoism can be regarded as a symbol of Taoist activities and Taoist entities by three books & gt& lt< Zhouyi & gt> < Lao Tzu's Random Thoughts and Notes & gt.

The main sources and social background of early Taoism are as follows:

The first one comes from ancient religion and folk witchcraft.

The second is the myths and legends and alchemy from the Warring States to the Qin and Han Dynasties.

The third one comes from the philosophy of Laozi and Zhuangzi in the pre-Qin period and Taoist philosophy in the Qin and Han dynasties.

The fourth comes from Confucianism and the thought of Yin-Yang and Five Elements.

The fifth one comes from the knowledge of ancient medicine and exercise.

The historical origin of Taoism was born in the late Han Dynasty. It is a product of the society of the Han Dynasty and an integral part of the ideology and culture of the Han Dynasty. It has profound social reasons. It directly promoted the formation of Dante School in the period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty. In addition, the introduction and prosperity of Buddhism stimulated and promoted the emergence of Taoism.