Wudang Daoist Temple Music

Wudang Daoist temple music is a treasure of folk music handed down in the mountain's monasteries, developed alongside Daoist ritual. After Wudang became a royal Daoist seat in the Ming dynasty, its music absorbed court and local strains and grew into a complete system. It is listed among the traditional-music items on the national ICH register.

Most often performed as an integrated whole of song, dance and instruments, the music divides into two broad forms—chanted "yunqiang" and instrumental "paizi"—used across rituals and liturgies, paired with scripture recitation, prostration and deity processions to create an atmosphere at once solemn and ethereal.

Wudang Daoist temple music is a key part of Chinese Daoist culture and a treasure of national music, holding real value for the study of Daoist ritual music and the blending of court and folk traditions, and in recent years it has stepped beyond the temples through the "Taihe Xianyun" concerts.