Liu Qiu

Liu Qiu, according to the "Great Mountain Taihe Mountain Annals" citing the "Yixian Zhuan", was known by the courtesy name Lingyu. Born with extraordinary intelligence and comprehension, he can grasp the profound truths of the classics of the various schools of thought at a glance. The number of books he has read is "more than five carriages". Liu was a renowned scholar during the Liu Song Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties. During the reign of Emperor Taishi Ming (465-471 AD), he served as an official in the secretariat of the Jin royal family (possibly a secretarial official specializing in recording the family history archives of the Jin royal family). He later resigned from his official position, practiced fasting and retired to Wudang Mountain. The stone chamber where he lived was called Liu Shuang Rock, and later generations referred to it as the Hermit Rock. This place is between the Immortal Peak and the Hermit Peak of Wudang. Liu Qiu later achieved immortality on Wudang Mountain and his whereabouts are unknown. According to the "Brief History of Taoism in Wudang", citing historical records, it is said that Liu Qiu "deeply believed in Buddhism, paid homage to Buddha for a long time, and annotated the Lotus Sutra." It can still be demonstrated that Liu Qiu was a scholar who was well-versed in the philosophies of Buddhism and Taoism, reflecting the prevailing academic trend of the integration of immortals and Buddhas during the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties.