| Sumario: | This article explores the life and work of a 19th century author of Daoist alchemical works, religious leader and publisher: Fu Jinquan ...(fl. 1800). Fu, a native of Jiangxi and a very active Daoist intellectual, moved to Sichuan in 1817, attracted by the fertile religious milieu, the possibility of establishing an altar for the reception of writing from Lü Dongbin and the creation of vibrant community around this altar, as well as the flourishing printing culture, of which he took full advantage when he published his opera omnia at the printing press previously established by his relative Fu Jinduo... Fu's case speaks to elements that are typical of the development of Daoist intellectual communities in the Qing (1644-1911) period: greater geographical mobility; the unprecedented spreading of alchemical literature through a wide network of writers and practitioners; widespread use of spirit writing séances as a means to receive and produce new writings; the growing influence of Daoist immortal Lü Dongbin in these séances; the use of Confucian as well as Buddhist ideas deeply interwoven with Daoist ideas and practices; the use of printing as a means to spread alchemical knowledge, the localization of production of religious knowledge through small printing houses, and the growth of lay organizations and politics. Despite the fact that Fu is only one example of the strengthening of local religious arenas, studying him highlights previously less known Daoist networks in Sichuan, as well as powerfully connecting the diffusion of religious knowledge to the rising of local commercial printing in Sichuan.
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