Title: Héguanzî, the Dao of Unity
Author: Marnix Wells
Publisher: XlibrisUK
ISBN: 1543491553
Pages: 350
Genre: Non-Fiction / Philosophy / Spirituality
Reviewed by: David Allen

Read Book Review

This epic bilingual translation is a work of intense scholarship and love. Marnix Wells,
the author, studied Chinese at Oxford, then at London’s School of Oriental and African
Studies, where he obtained a Ph.D. His academic research was supplemented by
personal work experience as a shipping manager in the Far East. Clearly, he knows of
what he writes.

Hold on to your hats for an in-depth tour of four millennia of Chinese culture, philosophy,
and history, both above and below ground the archeological photos and illustrations are
captivating. Some 2,000 years ago, Héguanzî, a legendary figure, depicted with a
pheasant feather in his cap, brought visions of unity, peace and justice to that world.

The Golden Pheasant is a heroic bird; its tail feathers serve as headdress in Chinese
martial operas. Héguanzî, ‘the Pheasant Cap Master’, made this his alias.
Héguanzî’s belief system, like that of Laozi (also known as Lao Tse), is based on the
Dao. Sometime around 600-500 B.C.E., Lao Tse wrote the Tao Te Ching (also known
as the I Ching), which teaches that all living things should live in balance with the forces
of the universe (the Tao.) Students of comparative religion are struck by the awesome
parallels between metaphysical systems across different cultures and eras. These
systems consistently teach harmony between the greater universe of the planets and
stars and the microcosm of man: That which is above is as that which is below.
One of the many fascinations of Marnix Wells’ book is its emphasis on the ancient
Chinese appreciation of conjunctions between heavenly bodies and terrestrial events.
More specifically, unearthed ruins and inscriptions demonstrate fascinating
correspondence between certain stars (the Northern Dipper) and the nine Chinese
regents (‘Augustans’, as in ancient Rome’s Augustus Caesar.) Each star in the Dipper
corresponds to one of the Chinese Augustans.

Another parallel is most striking: in our time, just as then, humanity is faced with world
crisis, which according to the Tao Te Ching is either an opportunity for change, or an
occasion or any disaster. The book provides compelling and marvelously detailed
reportage of early Taoism and associated concepts of cyclical time, synchronicity, and
the role of the stars in the heavens. The book is far more than exemplary scholarship: it
is a banquet of research, contemplation, and a masterful synthesis of cultures and
historical epochs.