Hand carved, painted statue of a Taoist shaman. About 120 - 150 years old. Dimensions 6 x 13 x 4".
The roots of Taoism lie in the shamanic cultures of ancient China and, specifically, in the practices of the "wu" -- their visionary shamans. Today the shaman is the healer in a community and, particularly in the Taoist tradition, is known only to the community, unknown in the outer world.