Quanzhen monks rise at the crack of dawn to the tolling of a bronze bell, gathering in the Sanqing Hall beneath the Three Pure Ones’ effigies. After silent bows, the morning ritual unfolds: a chapter of the Dao De Jing, followed by the recitation of the “True Text of the Three Pure Ones.” Hands folded, each monk offers incense—five slender sticks symbolizing Heaven, Earth and the triad of human virtues—before slipping into seated meditation aimed at refining jing, qi and shen.

Midday brings the vegetarian repast, silent and contemplative, interlaced with the rhythmic chant of the Jade Emperor’s liturgy. Meals double as ritual occasions, with porcelain bowls arranged in perfect alignment and anointing cups of tea offered to assemble harmony between body and spirit. By late afternoon, the Temple of Inner Stillness echoes with the conversion of Confucian Analects and Buddhist Heart Sutra passages—a hallmark of Quanzhen’s famed “Three Teachings Harmonization.”

Evening rituals begin with the tolling of the drum, inviting all to the Jade Seal meditation. Eyes closed, breath counted down to ten, the mind floats free of dust and distraction. Final ceremonial bows wrap up the day: incense is offered once more to the immaterial realm, lamps are dimmed, and a single hymn to Wang Chongyang drifts through candlelit corridors.

Throughout the lunar cycle, special liturgies punctuate daily routine. On the first and fifteenth days, the Zhai Offering—an elaborate vegetarian purification rite—invites lay devotees to join monks in chanting, drum-beat processions and ritual purification. Once a year, the Da Jiao Grand Offering unfolds: elaborate paper burnings, music performed on copper bells and wooden fish, and communal prayers to avert calamity and foster world harmony. In modern Quanzhen temples—from Beijing’s White Cloud Mountain to small retreats in Sichuan—these rites still bind practitioners to centuries of ascetic devotion, weaving each day into the enduring tapestry of Taoist perfection.