China's original Taoist thought was Huang Lao's, emphasizing inaction. The predecessor of Taoism in China was integrated with the people. Years of war in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period made the upper class at that time full of fear of death. Therefore, some magicians combined some immortal theories with the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements to form the predecessor of Taoism.
Taoism was originally one of the schools in the Warring States period, but in this process. They were constantly deified, and religious organizations and Taoism were formed.
The peak of Taoism was in the Tang Dynasty, because the founder of Taoism was named Li Er, so the rulers of the Tang Dynasty all admitted that Laozi was the ancestor of Taoism, and Tang Gaozu Li Yuan even stipulated that Taoism should be given priority to, supplemented by Buddhism, which led to the rapid development of Taoism. However, in the late Tang Dynasty and the early Five Dynasties, due to the outbreak of war, it began to decline. At the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, a famous event, Qiu Chuji stopped killing in one word, and Genghis Khan respected him especially. He was in charge of Taoism in the whole country. Until the Ming Dynasty, the whole country was devoted to Taoism.
But in the Qing Dynasty, Taoism was not so respected and strict preventive measures were taken. Later, the Opium War began, which led to the further decline of Taoism.
After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), New China became a country with free faith. However, during the Cultural Revolution, various traditional cultures were severely damaged, and Taoism, which was already in decline, was fragmented.
Nevertheless, Taoism has been integrated into people's lives and made indelible contributions to the development of the country.