An incredibly important book for both scholars and students, one which will remain for years to come a pivotal resource for classrooms and related studies. * Reading Religion * Gender, Power, and Talent succeeds in demonstrating the breadth of achievement of Daoist priestesses in the Tang. -- Daniel Burton-Rose, Northern Arizona University, USA * Nan Nu * [This] volume presents an impressive wealth of material for historical studies on women as well as on religion. * Religious Studies Review * [Gender, Power, and Talent's] contributions to the scholarship on Chinese religion, literature, and women studies make it a useful reference for scholars and students interested in related areas. Overall, it is a worthy beginning to what we hope will be increased emphasis on women and Daoism, and it should stimulate further research on Daoism and gender studies. -- Yue Wu * Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews * Written by a rising leader in Chinese religious studies applying an interdisciplinary approach that combines religious, literary, and gender studies, and searching through all available sources and recovering many new texts, Gender, Power, and Talent examines both the conventional and 'unconventional' roles played by Tang Daoist priestesses in the historical context of the Tang dynasty. -- Nanxiu Qian, Rice University Gender, Power, and Talent argues that Daoist women of medieval China played an important role in the religion and in the society of the time; that their emergence as a major social force is unprecedented in Chinese history; and that they developed a new form of identity both as women and as Daoists. The gender-critical perspective of the book together with its meticulous historical research makes it a unique contribution to the field. -- Livia Kohn, Boston University Elite Daoist nuns of the Tang dynasty used to have a scandalous reputation. Jinhua Jia does them justice; the gossip is accounted for, but more important elements are added to the picture: the uneasy invention of Daoist monasticism, the debates around female religiosity and poetic expression, and the rise of early modern self-cultivation practices. This gendered history of medieval Daoism is a major addition to our understanding of Chinese religious cultures. -- Vincent Goossaert, Universite PSL, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes Using previously unknown mortuary inscriptions, rare Dunhuang manuscripts, and a broad range of received texts, Jia offers a revealing panorama of women's religious practices from medieval China. This study of Tang Daoist priestesses from various backgrounds brings the lives of these many remarkable women out of the shadows. Cultural and social history at its best. -- Paul W. Kroll, University of Colorado, Boulder By making meticulous use of important new sources and re-viewing older ones with an informed and insightful gender-critical eye, Jinhua Jia has admirably succeeded in finally releasing Tang dynasty Daoist women from the traditional stereotypes, whether romantically idealistic or moralistically censorious, that have so long obscured their significant accomplishments in such diverse areas as scriptural exegesis, ritual practice, medicine, literature, and the arts. -- Beata Grant, Washington University in St. Louis