Home›Open Questions›When was Zhang Sanfeng born, and when did he die?Open QuestionsWhen was Zhang Sanfeng born, and when did he die?Citation FormatsGeneral ReferenceGeneral Reference Citation TextDivinity Atlas. "When was Zhang Sanfeng born, and when did he die?." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://divinity.interactivelion.com/open-questions-index/when-was-zhang-sanfeng-born-and-when-did-he-die.Copy General ReferenceAPA StyleAPA Style Citation TextDivinity Atlas. (n.d.). When was Zhang Sanfeng born, and when did he die?. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://divinity.interactivelion.com/open-questions-index/when-was-zhang-sanfeng-born-and-when-did-he-dieCopy APA StyleBibTeXBibTeX Citation Text@misc{divinityatlas-when-was-zhang-sanfeng-born-and-when-did, author = {Divinity Atlas}, title = {When was Zhang Sanfeng born, and when did he die?}, year = {2026}, url = {https://divinity.interactivelion.com/open-questions-index/when-was-zhang-sanfeng-born-and-when-did-he-die}, note = {Accessed August 30, 2026} }Copy BibTeXOpen QuestionCross-Tradition ConnectionsSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)Open QuestionNo contemporary record confirms Zhang Sanfeng lived at all. Regional gazettes give a traditional birth in 1247 and report him still being sought as late as 1464, a span of more than two hundred years that scholarship reads as evidence of a composite legendary figure rather than a single dateable life, while competing traditions place his birth as early as 960 or as late as 1279.What would resolve this A contemporary Yuan or early Ming record independent of later Wudang cult tradition and imperial search-party accounts, confirming a single historical individual existed and naming his actual dates.OpenHistory of Daoism, Chinese religious historyLivia Kohn (ed.), Daoism HandbookCross-Tradition ConnectionsQuestion OnZhang Sanfeng, Historical Figures Well-attested Source Daoism HandbookLivia Kohn (ed.)tier 1SourcesDaoism Handbooktier 1Livia Kohn (ed.), Brill, 2000Comments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.View At A Past YearThe atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.Show This Year