Heguanzi, the Dao of Unity: Pheasant Cap Master, Grand Unity and the Nine Augustans

Over two millennia ago, in troubled times not unlike our own, a mysterious figure, distinguished by a pheasant feather in his cap, emerged with poetic visions of a future world of peace and justice. Like Laozi, Pheasant Cap (Héguanzî) understood the underlying unity in things and the power of Dao to make things happen.

Facing the threat of conquest by the westerly state of Qin, he looked to a messiah-like figure, the Ninth Augustan, to inaugurate a new era according to the mandate of the god Grand Unity.

Here for the first time, we get an insider's view of early Daoism as it influenced philosophy, its ideas of an interlinked cosmos, cyclical time, and the perceived role of the northern Dipper (Plough) constellation.

A rediscovered early Daoist cosmic philosophy, and the messianic Nine Augustans (Jiu-Huang) with their stars in the Northern Dipper, are in this epic bilingual translation.

Marnix Wells acquired an early interest in all aspects of Chinese culture and religion. He obtained a first degree in Chinese from Oxford (1967), later PhD from London (2001, School of Oriental and African Studies). In the meantime, he worked as shipping manager in the Far East where he acquired first-hand knowledge of the people and their heritage. He has given numerous lectures and authored several papers and books. The present volume is the first to show both Chinese original and English translation side by side.