Wonderism is a term coined by French sinologist Terrien de Lacouperie (1845–1894) to differentiate the proto-Daoism of Jixia Academy from the philosophical Daoism of Laozi, although his ideas were received with skepticism at the time of assertion and have since been discredited by modern sinology.
It was located in the Zhou dynasty state of Qi 齊 (present day Shandong Province) at Langye 琅琊 (near Linyi) and Jimo 即墨 (northeast and southwest of Jiaozhou Bay).
In the history of Ancient Chinese coinage, Jimo was an important mint where large bronze knife money called "Qi knives" were manufactured.
[1] These foreigners, Sabaeans, Syrians and Hindus introduced new notions, such as astrology and superstitions, and by their sailors' yarns awakened a curiosity for the wonderful.
The school of Wonderism, which had grown out of the influence of the trader-colonists of the Indian Ocean settled at Lang-ya and Tsih-Moh who had taught Astrology and an overrated conception of the transforming powers of nature, amalgamated with the pure Taoism of Lao-tze, and formed henceforth what may be called the Neo-Taoism or Tao-szeism, while Confucianism remained in opposition to it, such as his founder had conceived it against the encroachments of Wonderism, Taoism, and Shamanism.