Mount Ararat focus of the searches for Noah's Ark. Augustin Calmet wrote in his 1722 biblical dictionary, "It is affirmed, but without proof, that there are still remains of Noah's ark on the top of this mountain; but M. de Tournefort, who visited this spot, has assured us there was nothing like it; that the top of mount Ararat is inaccessible, both by reason of its great height, and of the snow which perpetually covers it." Archaeological expeditions, sometimes supported by evangelical and millenarian churches, have been conducted since the 19th century in search of the ark. According to a 1974 book
Way of the Gods according to the Confucian Tradition Phoenix Halls" (鸾堂圣典 "Luántáng shèngdiǎn") was published in 1979. While early phoenix halls showed ritual patterns inherited from Taoist cults and Longhua vegetarian halls, since the formation of the Assembly of the Phoenix Halls in 1978 "new-style" urban phoenix halls, such as the Shenxian Tang and the Wumiao Mingzheng Tang, strengthened a Confucian style omitting Taoist and Longhua-derived rituals. The tradition of the Wumiao Mingzheng Tang was influenced by Xuanyuanism and Yiguandao. The book "The Mysterious Meaning of the Way of Heaven" (天道奥义 "Tiāndào àoyì"), published in the 1980s by the Wumiao Mingzheng Tang, incorporates "Wusheng Laomu", the central concept