"Socialization" and "Secularization" of Taoist Immortals in the Popular Stories during the Ming and Qing Dynasties

The stories of immortals recorded in Tai Ping Guang Ji took place mostly during the Han(202BC-220) and Tang(618-907) periods,and chiefly in the middle and lower reaches of the Huanghe River,an area where most of the ancient emperors ruled.

Relationship between immortals and mortals in the novels during Han Wei and Six dynasties underwent a gradually transforming process.

Sima-xiangru s thought has some Taoism and immortal element;

From the time of Wei-Jin dynasty, due to the attack and use of contemporary ruling class, the early-staged Taoism of Han dynasty began to be polarized into immortal Taoism believed by the upper classes and the civil Taoism accepted by the folk people.

The Taoist belief of immortals is closely related with the Chinese folk beliefs.

The Theroist of religious Daoism demonstrated "the long life and celestial"and expounded the ways and methods of acquiring Tao and becoming the celestial ,which layed a foundation about the theory of "the long life and celestial".

From the Qing predynasty on,the immortal idea and fairy tales provide spirit ideal and source mateial with the appearance of the Taoism s novels.

In these legends, the holy, the legitimate and the immortal are organically connected.

Based on the forerunners research,the author of this paper deems that Xiwangmu had the three categories:that is,the person who was present in history;the figure images in the historical novels and the supernatural being in the legend of the fairy tale.

The poetry about immortals is caused by original idea of supernatural being .