Taoists and Taoist beliefs and activities were present throughout Ming society. Given the present state of scholarship, however, only a fragmentary picture of the role Taoism played during the Ming can be reconstructed. The Tao, or Way, has historically assumed many different forms. Research has uncovered isolated tableaux of Taoism in Ming society at various levels and in various regions. Taken together, these tableaux constitute a picture of Taoism similar to the pictures in a Chinese handscroll, which, as it is unrolled, reveals a succession of clear vistas that fade into long stretches blanketed in mist. However disconnected these Taoist scenes may appear, it would be a mistake to assume that current fragmentary knowledge reflects reality, and that the disparate faces of Ming Taoism are, in fact, unrelated. The Way may indeed have parted during the Six Dynasties, but, by the Ming, the separate paths of Taoism had conflated. Potential patrons or devotees had expectations of “Taoists” based on their perceptions of the powers and roles of Taoism. The expectations and perceptions of all levels of society and the beliefs and practices of trained Taoists interacted to create Ming Taoism.

Nathan Sivin has lamented the ambiguities of the term “Taoist,” warning all who use it to be very specific about its intention in each particular context. To Sivin's admonition must be added the caveat that the Ming Chinese themselves had perspectives on Taoists which complicate neat definitions: they ignored or collapsed fine distinctions between schools and ritual techniques. Research has progressed far enough to provide glimpses of the interrelationships among the various aspects of Taoism.