ABSTRACT
DAOIST HERITAGE TODAY ‘Daoism’ denotes a diverse array of
communities with their respective
praxis, doctrine, liturgy, and texts that
have evolved continually for more than
two millennia. The roots of Daoist tra-
ditions in their various social configur-
ations reach back at least to the fourth
century BCE while its beginnings, as an
identifiable social movement, are trace-
able to the close of the Han dynasty
(206 BCE – 220 CE). Today there are
Daoist organizations in China, Hong
Kong, Taiwan and in Chinese immi-
grant communities in Malaysia, Korea,
Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe,
the United States and Canada. While it
has proved difficult to identify a com-
mon thread that connects them, it is
apparent that they do share several
important traits.
