Detail Of A Taoist Temple In Macau, With Incense Offerings Editorial Image

Macau, Island of Macau, China - September 15 2019: detail of a taoist temple in Macau, with incense offerings. Taoism has had a profound influence on Chinese culture in the course of the centuries and Taoists ("masters of the Tao"), a title traditionally attributed only to the clergy and not to their lay followers, usually take care to note the distinction between their ritual tradition and the practices of Chinese folk religion and non-Taoist vernacular ritual orders, which are often mistakenly identified as pertaining to Taoism. Chinese alchemy (especially neidan), Chinese astrology, Chan (Zen) Buddhism, several martial arts including kung fu, traditional Chinese medicine, feng shui and many styles of qigong have been intertwined with Taoism throughout history.