4 • The Demise and Rebirth of Tongbai Palace
abstract
By the beginning of the Qing dynasty, paralleling the decline of the Ming dynasty, that of Tongbai Palace had been going on for at least fifty years. What was left of this temple remained under Daoist management, despite the warfare and the economic problems that hit the region in the final years of the Ming. By the early Qing dynasty, Tongbai Palace of Tiantai County had lost much of its prominence within the national religious system. Yet, its memory lingered on due to its past connections to important Daoist lineages and especially to that of Sima Chengzhen.