His story
Daoist Xuan Yun Zhou (born Zhou Hongliang) was born in a small village in Henan Province, central China. At the age of thirteen, he was sent by his parents to Mount Wudang, where he began studying Taiji, Kung Fu, and Qigong—disciplines that would later become central to his life's work and teaching.
He trained at the Martial Arts Academy of the Daoist Association at Zixiao Palace (Purple Cloud Palace), where he was initiated into the Wudang Longmen (Dragon Gate) lineage, becoming a 24th-generation successor. At seventeen, he underwent formal Daoist ordination and became a Daoist priest, devoting himself to the study of Daoist philosophy, spiritual cultivation, and religious practice.
Although many practitioners who study martial arts on Mount Wudang develop connections with the Daoist tradition, Xuan Yun Zhou's path was distinctive. He spent many years living and training full-time within the mountain's monasteries, immersed in the traditional monastic way of life, and completed the formal rites of Daoist ordination.
Autumn leaves hold the light, and an indigo robe moves among the pale trunks, one hand lifted like a leaf not yet fallen. Each autumn the center gathers its students for teacher training; this is only the quiet around it, a figure, a tree, a season turning. The photograph asks nothing more: to stand, to breathe, to let the year settle.
Source: daoistgatecenter.org · rights pending
At nineteen, he embarked on a period of wandering throughout China, traveling across its mountains and rivers in search of accomplished masters and experienced Daoist practitioners. This journey deepened his understanding of Daoist philosophy and practice, while broadening his experience of China's diverse spiritual and martial arts traditions.
Through a series of fortunate circumstances, he eventually came to the United States in 2009, where he established the Daoist Gate Center in New Hampshire. Today, he continues to share the traditional teachings of Daoism, Taiji, Qigong, and internal martial arts, bringing these ancient traditions into dialogue with contemporary life.
Timeline, with open questions
Birth
A small village in Henan Province. Birth year: not published.
Mount Wudang
At thirteen, sent by his parents to Mount Wudang to study Taiji, Kung Fu and Qigong.
Wudang Longmen lineage
Trained at the Martial Arts Academy of the Daoist Association at Zixiao Palace (Purple Cloud Palace); initiated into the Wudang Longmen (Dragon Gate) lineage as a 24th-generation successor.
Daoist ordination
At seventeen, formal Daoist ordination; he became a Daoist priest.
Wandering years
At nineteen, began a period of wandering across China in search of accomplished masters and experienced Daoist practitioners.
Yunnan (Dali)TBD
Six years or six and a half years, depending on the page.
TBD — pending Master Zhou’s confirmation.United States
Arrived in 2009. The Daoist Gate Center opened in Francestown, New Hampshire, in 2018.
Teaching in ChinaTBD
daoistgate.com says he began teaching in China in 1997. This has not yet been reconciled with the biography above.
TBD — pending Master Zhou’s confirmation.
