I was away in New York City Yesterday, going to see Broadway shows there with my daughter (more on that later); so, I am a bit behind in the news.  Imagine my delight when I discovered this article in Spiegel on religious Taoism.  It does a good job illustrating the importance of the religious strain of Taoism in contemporary PRC life.  And it gives a bit of background on the emergence of religious Taoism:

At the close of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.E.-220 C.E.), a time of
eroding central authority and civil strife, Zhang [Daoling] experienced an
epiphany that promised a better life for the distressed people of
China. He proclaimed that Lao Tzu, the legendary philosopher at least
seven centuries his predecessor, had solicited him to drive out demons
and evil spirits. He also charged him to lead his followers according
to "the way of the orthodox oneness of the celestial masters," which
ultimately translated into the name of this belief system. Anyone,
Zhang added, who adhered to the teachings and led a virtuous life might
be blessed with the ultimate reward: immortality.

     We have to be careful, however, with the view that says Taoism was first a philosophy and only later a religion.  In the grossest of chronological senses there might be some truth to that (though we should be skeptical of too much precision about the existence of "Lao Tzu") but it is very likely that, well before the Han dynasty, local religious practices and beliefs were infusing philosophical Taoism, and the philosophy was informing religion.  The conceptual distinction between the two world views – philosophical v. religious – is fairly clear; the historical relationship is complex.

     One of the key differences between religious and philosophical Taoism is evident in the quote above.  Religious practitioners strive for immortality.  Philosophical appreciators see in Taoism, and especially Chuang Tzu, a comfortable acceptance of death.  We might want to point out the contradiction here: how can one thing, "Taoism," give rise to such starkly contrasting understandings.  But one thing both religionists and philosophers of Taoism would agree upon is that contradiction is part of Way, to be expected and not worried over:

Taoism is therefore both a religion and a philosophy. According to
China expert Jörg Rudolph, Taoism views following the incomprehensible
ways of nature as the purpose of all human life. "As a result, Taoists
have gained a reputation for being anarchic and anti-establishment," he
adds.

 We might add: not just politically but also intellectually anarchic and anti-establishment.