Deng Daoren

Deng Daoren, whose given name is unknown, was from Junzhou. A hermit on Wudang Mountain during the Xuande period of the Ming Dynasty (1426-1436 AD). According to the records of the origin of the "Southern School of Wudang Neijia Gongjia", during his seclusion in Wudang, Daoist Deng mastered superior Neijia skills and secretly passed them on to the descendants of the Deng family. The family precepts were established as follows: Pass on the family name to sons and daughters-in-law, not daughters. Do not pass on the family name outside one's own surname. Little is known about Deng Daoren's later life. The internal martial arts of the Deng family were passed down to the ninth generation, Deng Zhongshan (1815-?) He began to break the family rules, widely spread his disciples, and named the school he opened "Wudang Gongjia Nan Pai", symbolizing its origin from the lineage of Zhang Sanfeng and Zhang Songxi. Deng Zhongshan spent most of his life traveling and teaching in other places. At the age of 95, he returned to his hometown alone and later passed away in Wudang.