The article is devoted to the study of the contribution of the Daoist master Chen Ying-ning 陳櫻寧 (1880–1969) to the modernization of the national religion of China – Daoism. For this purpose, in the first half of the 20th century, he published magazines on Daoism, commented on complex Daoist writings, and opened an institute to teach the basics of the Daoist tradition. An important step by Chen Ying-ning on the path to modernizing Daoism was his focus on a female audience. He created a women's group at the institute, described the six Daoist directions for women, and commented on texts written by female Daoists. One such text was “The Song of the Great Dao of the Spiritualized Source” (Ling Yuan Da Dao Ge 靈源大道歌) – the poem of Daoist inner alchemy, written by Cao Wen-yi曹文逸. It sets out the principles of cultivating the inner nature (xing 性) and vital force (ming 命), which means the spirit-shen 神 and the breath-qi 氣. Using the example of “Ling Yuan Da Dao Ge,” Chen Ying-ning proves that Daoism must be viewed as a science and not as a religious cult, interpreting Daoist Alchemy as a means of healing the body. In the commentary, Chen Ying-ning notes the universalism of Daoist methods, emphasizing the idea of gender and social equality in Daoism.
China, Daoism, Xianxue yuan University, Chen Ying-ning, Cao Wen-yi, “Ling Yuan Da Dao Ge”.