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This article aims to investigate the formation of local Daoist communities in modern times by focusing on a spirit-writing cult movement in Guangdong as a case study. Many kinds of religious societies that centered on spiritwriting arose and spread in Guangdong from the mid-nineteenth century to the Republican period, among which three organizations played prominent roles. First was the Lüzu daotang — an association established by the Daoist literati who worshiped Lüzu as their patriarch. Some members of the Lüzu daotang identified themselves as belonging to the Quanzhen School. The second was the group of halls that belonged to Xiantiandao (The Great Way of Former Heaven), which originated in Luojiao. The third organization was made up of the charitable societies that provided funeral services in the Chaozhou-Shantou area. Although the origins and sects of these three organizations were different, they jointly organized the Hong Kong Daoist Association in the 1950s after escaping from communist China to Hong Kong. The purpose of this article is not only to show the rise and transition of sprit-writing cult movements in modern Guangdong, but also to focus on the interaction among the three organizations and Daoist temples and priests. Accordingly, the article aims to consider how such processes led to the formation of a local Daoist community and the role of spirit-writing in it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]