Messianic Deity and Daoist Sage–Ruler: Song Huizong’s Commentaries on the Daoist Classics

The present article investigates several commentaries on Daoist works attributed to Song emperor Huizong; it also studies the role those commentaries played within the emperor’s overarching endeavor to install his vision of Daoism as the de facto state religion. Inspired by the political instrumentalization of exegetical literature during Wang Anshi’s reforms a half-century earlier, the imperially authored and authorized commentaries were part of his and the court’s attempt to gain absolute moral control over state ideology. To do this, Huizong styled himself as both a Daoist deity whose purpose was to guide its subjects to universal salvation, and simultaneously as erudite sage–ruler who governs in accordance with the guidelines provided by the ancient Daoist classic — Laozi. The exegetical literature on the Daoist classics produced by Huizong and his subordinates was intended to substantiate this picture and to spread among the literati elite the emperor’s vision of a state ideology unified under Daoist guidance.