Tales of the dancing dragon (Shambhala Publications Inc)

These delightful folktales, stories, and legends are a traditional means of conveying the history and spiritual evolution of Taoism. Eva Wong heard them as a child growing up in Hong Kong from the local storytellers. The stories are by turns mysterious and intriguing, passionate and violent, and are peppered with colorful characters, including hermits, politicians, social activists, revolutionaries, scholars, scientists, and mystics.Arranged chronologically from prehistory through the Qing dynasty (which ended around 1912), these stories introduce us to the schools in the Taoist lineages, and capture the defeats and victories of Taoism, its periods of decadence and decay, and its renewal, maturation, and spiritual triumph. Wong puts these stories into context, and shows that Taoism is a dynamic spiritual tradition, constantly changing--and being changed by--history.