黎志添
香港中文大學宗教系
廣州元妙觀（或稱玄妙觀）經歷過宋、元、明、清四朝，共九百多年的歷史。從北宋而迄清末，廣州元妙觀至少共經歷了十四次大規模的重建修葺，其間雖曾多次毀於兵燹，但直到民國初年以前，它一直在廣州古城西門大街上屹立（即今海珠北路祝壽巷），依然為歷朝保存下來。
民國以後至今，這所超過九百多年歷史的廣州古道觀已湮沒消失了，現今甚至連許多廣州歷史學者及一般廣州市民亦已忘記了這所珍貴的古道觀及其歷史變遷。廣州元妙觀的古舊歷史見證著道教在廣州古城裡上千年的變遷經過。
本論文的目的是嘗試完整地重建廣州元妙觀在歷代的變遷歷史，以補足現有學術界對廣東道教的歷史和傳統之認識及研究。
本論文試圖通過從北宋直至清初保存下來之廣州元妙觀的碑刻記文，及大量官修地方志，來重建這所廣州最古道觀的變遷歷史。據我們的搜集所得，現今流傳下來廣州元妙觀的碑刻記文共有七通。
關鍵詞：廣州元妙觀 廣州道教史 道教地方史
A Study and Analysis of the Monastery of Primordial Mystery in Guangzhou
Chi-tim Lai
Department of Religion, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
The Daoist Monastery of Primordial Mystery (Yuanmiao guan 元妙觀 or called Xuanmaio guan 玄妙觀) in Guangzhou city was founded in the Song, passed through the later Dynasties of Yuan, Ming and Qing, and had lasted for more than nine hundred years. The Monastery underwent at least fourteen extensive repairs during the period between the northern Song and the late Qing. Although it had been destroyed for many times as a result of wars when imperial dynasty fell, the Monastery was unceasingly extant in the West of the old Guangzhou city.
Since the beginning of the Republican period, the Monastery was gradually destroyed and eventually disappeared. Nowadays, many historians and citizens of Guangzhou city cannot recognize any historical details about this oldest Daoist monastery in Guangzhou.
The present paper explores the changing histories of the Monastery from the Song until the Qing. The aim is to characterize its historical and religious background and to place in a larger academic context of studying history of Daoism in Guangzhou city.
The present paper makes extensive use of epigraphy of the Monastery, which reveals the historical development of the Monastery. Although only one stele of the Monastery dated from 1079 is now kept in the Guangzhou museum, the author of this essay has collected epigraphy of seven steles of the Monastery handed down from the Song. The present paper makes use of them as key sources to analyze the Monastery.
The present paper covers three main parts. It begins with a summary of the historical development of the Monastery since 1009. Thereafter, it attempts to reconstruct the architecture of the Monastery by analyzing the materials of epigraphy of the Monastery as well as local gazetteers of Guangdong province. Finally, the present paper will trace the history of Daoism in Guangzhou city through the three aspects of Daoist masters, Daoist liturgical activities, and Daoist establishment, which were centered in the Monastery.
Keywords: The Daoist Monastery of Primordial Mystery in Guangzhou, history of Daoism in Guangzhou, local history of Daoism