Jadeology Ep. 22 | Was Laozi a Neolithic Rebel? The Shamanic Origins of the Tao

The Historical Context: Chu vs. Zhou

In traditional Chinese thought, Laozi is often relegated to the role of an elder contemporary to Confucius. However, this narrative becomes secondary—perhaps even impossible—if we accept that the foundations of Taoism predate the Zhou Dynasty by millennia.

Guided by Neolithic jade artifacts, I propose that Laozi’s teachings are rooted in pre-dynastic spiritual models, specifically those of the Neolithic Wu (Shaman-King). This perspective places the Daodejing not just in opposition to Confucianism, but in direct resistance to the entire political and moral structure of the Western Zhou.

While Kongzi’s (Confucius) life is meticulously recorded, Laozi remains an enigma. According to the Shiji, Laozi hailed from the State of Chu (楚), a southern region known for its defiant preservation of shamanic traditions and deities. While Japanese scholars often use a "box" framework—pitting Laozi against Kongzi—I propose a "layer" framework. If we treat ancient texts as a timeline of evolving thought layers, we see that Laozi wasn’t inventing a new philosophy; he was defending an ancient, submerged one.

The Critique of "Management"

Kongzi, a member of the Zhou elite, sought a return to order through Tianming (the Mandate of Heaven) and the discipline of Ren (benevolence). To Laozi, these virtues were merely symptoms of a terminal disease. He argued that formal morality only emerges when the Tao is already lost:

“When the great Tao declined, there were benevolence and righteousness... When the six family relationships ceased to be harmonious, there first were filial piety and love.” (Daodejing, Ch. 18)

Kongzi’s vision required the limitation of personal desire to fit a codified feudal system. Laozi’s counter-argument was a metaphorical knife at the throat of the Zhou rulers. He equated their "management" of Tianxia (all-under-heaven) with spiritual destruction:

"Desiring to take over all-under-heaven and manage it, I see, will not succeed... Managing only leads to harm, control always brings loss." (Daodejing, Ch. 29)

The Neolithic Memory

Laozi points back to a "Golden Age" long before the Zhou social system was codified—a time when the Tao was realized through presence rather than policy. Where the Zhou ruler governed through coercive law and ritualized hierarchy, the Neolithic Wu governed through Wu-Wei (non-action).

This critique is perfectly encapsulated in Laozi’s famous maxim: "Ruling a large state is like cooking a small fish." (治大國若烹小鮮)

Governance must be handled with minimal intervention. This philosophy is only comprehensible as an intentional rejection of the centralized control that defined the "Three Dynasties" (Xia, Shang, Zhou).

The Smoking Gun: The Jade Exorcism Stick

The physical evidence for this theory lies in artifacts like the one pictured: an ancient Longshan jade "stick" featuring breathtakingly refined raised lines and motifs.

For years, the purpose of such objects remained a mystery. However, within the context of the Shaman-King, we recognize this as a 驅鬼棒 (Exorcism Staff). While modern Taoists use peach or camphor wood for these tools, the Neolithic elites used jade—the "stone of heaven."

This artifact suggests that the ritual apparatus of Taoism existed at least 4,000 years ago during the Longshan culture. Laozi was not a "philosopher" in the modern sense; he was the final voice of a Neolithic worldview that was being suffocated by the rise of the political state.

Evidence of a 4,000-Year Tradition: This Neolithic Jade Exorcism Staff (驅鬼棒) features the breathtakingly refined "raised-line" motifs of the Longshan culture. Its cylindrical, "stick" form—still mirrored in modern Taoist ritual tools—serves as physical proof that the spiritual lineage Laozi defended was already ancient long before the rise of the Zhou political state. It is a relic of the "Golden Age" of the Wu/Shaman-King, where governance was a matter of spiritual presence rather than bureaucratic management.