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Tao Hongjing also raised Daoist religious theories to a higher level. Born in a gentleman's family with a good cultural tradition, he was fascinated with Daoist books such as the ''[[Biographies of the Immortals]]''. Because his career prospects were not very promising, he went to Mt. Mao to practise Daoism at the age of 36. He was interested in writing. His wide-ranging knowledge included Yin-Yang, the Five Agents, calculation, astrology, geography, and traditional medicine. As a scholar with various talents, he made several contributions to traditional pharmacology. He wrote many books including the ''[[Declarations of the Perfected]]'', ''[[''The Secret of Attainment to Immortality]]'', ''[[The Illustrated Ranking of the Immortals]]'', ''[[The Commentary to Shen Nong's Materia Medica]]'', and ''[[Methods for the Concoction of Elixirs]]''.