关键词: 五斗米道, 二十四治, 神聖空間, 聖地

Abstract: The twenty-four parishes are not only the processing area of religious and secular affairs of Five Pecks of Rice, but also the representative sacred space of early Daoism. With the disappearance of the early Five Pecks of Rice system of political and religious unity, the twenty-four parishes also disappeared on the stage of history but have been expounded with rich sacred significance in the Daoist Scriptures instead. These sacred meanings mainly include the creation of myths, the corresponding time and symbolizing the heaven. In response to the divine ambition of the twenty-four parishes in various classics, the twenty-four parishes established a system of three grades and four categories, and changed from the parish architectural group of Five Pecks of Rice to the holy land system which is similar to the Grotto-Heavens.

Key words: Five Pecks of Rice, the twenty-four parishes, sacred space, holy land