Apocrypha

==Taoism==
Prophetic texts called the ''Ch'an-wei'' were written by [[Han Dynasty]] (206 BC to AD 220) [[Daoshi|Taoist priests]] to legitimize as well as curb imperial power.<ref name="SeidelAnna"/> They deal with treasure objects that were part of the [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]] (1066 to 256 BC) royal treasures. Emerging from the instability of the [[Warring States period]] (476–221 BC), ancient Chinese scholars saw the centralized rule of the Zhou as an ideal model for the new Han empire to emulate.

The ''Ch'an-wei'' are texts written by Han scholars about the Zhou royal treasures, only they were not written to record history for its own sake, but for legitimizing the current imperial reign. These texts took the form of stories about texts and objects being conferred upon the Emperors by Heaven and comprising these ancient sage-king's (this is how the Zhou emperors were referred to by this time, about 500 years after their peak) royal regalia.<ref name="SeidelAnna"/> The desired effect was to confirm the Han emperor's [[Mandate of Heaven|Heavenly Mandate]] through the continuity offered by his possession of these same sacred talismans.

It is because of this politicized recording of their history that it is difficult to retrace the exact origins of these objects. What is known is that these texts were most likely produced by a class of literati called the ''[[fangshi]]''. These were a class of nobles who were not part of the state administration; they were considered specialists or occultists, for example diviners, astrologers, alchemists or healers.<ref name="SeidelAnna"/> It is from this class of nobles that the first [[Taoist]] priests are believed to have emerged. [[Seidel, Anna|Seidel]] points out however that the scarcity of sources relating to the formation of early [[Taoism]] make the exact link between the apocryphal texts and the Taoist beliefs unclear.<ref name="SeidelAnna"/>
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