Gov-Acc Pipeline.

--- title: "The Dao of the DAO: Eastern Philosophies in Decentralized Worlds" source: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5731428 author: - Helena Rong, Zhe Sun New York University Shanghai ( email )]] - "[[Zhe Sun \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tShanghai University of Finance and Economics ( email )\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t NO. 777 Guoding RoadShanghai]]" - "[[200433China]]" - "[[Top Authors]]" - "[[See all articles by Helena Rong]]" - "[[Helena Rong]]" - "[[Zhe Sun]]" published: created: 2026-01-26 description: In chapter 62 of Daodejing, Laozi describes the Dao as "the hearth and home of the ten thousand things. Good souls treasure it, lost souls find shelter in tags: - academic - DAO type: resource uuid: 274c5188-0241-462b-9b64-0c969846a1dd can-be-republished: false problems: [] solutions: [] --- [Add Paper to My Library](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/?abstract_id=5731428#) 20 Pages Posted: 17 Nov 2025 ## Helena Rong New York University Shanghai ## Zhe Sun Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Date Written: October 28, 2025 ### Abstract In chapter 62 of Daodejing, Laozi describes the Dao as "the hearth and home of the ten thousand things. Good souls treasure it, lost souls find shelter in it." Contemporary DAOs are often framed within Western discourses of decentralization, autonomy, and Web 3.0 innovation. However, emerging practices-especially in Chinese-speaking communities-reveal a distinctive layer of cultural imagination deeply rooted in Eastern thought. This research proposes to understand DAOs from Eastern philosophies by examining how Daoist principles inform the values and practices of DAO communities in Asia to articulate alternative visions of autonomy, community, and social organization. Concepts such as wú-wéi (non-action) and xiāo-yáo (carefree wandering) are increasingly referenced in the context of blockchain governance in the East. Using SeeDAO, a prominent DAO in the Chinese-speaking Web3 space, as a focal point, this study will explore how concepts such as non-action governance, the "Dao follows nature", and "emergence" are operationalized in digital governance practices. The research seeks to make three key contributions: first, to elucidate the lived experiences and ethical visions of DAO participants in China; second, to provide a culturally grounded theory of decentralized governance rooted in Eastern philosophical paradigms; and third, to explore how ancient philosophical ideas find renewed life in emergent socio-technical forms. **Keywords:** Decentralized Autonomous Organization, Daoism, Governance, Eastern Philosophy, Community Governance, Blockchains Rong, Helena and Sun, Zhe, The Dao of the DAO: Eastern Philosophies in Decentralized Worlds (October 28, 2025). Available at SSRN: [https://ssrn.com/abstract=5731428](https://ssrn.com/abstract=5731428) or [http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5731428](https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5731428) ## Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN? ## Paper statistics Downloads 39 Abstract Views 362 PlumX Metrics [<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 100 100" width="100%" height="100%" aria-labelledby="widget-plumprint-1"><title>Plum Print visual indicator of research metrics</title><path fill="#6e1a62" stroke="#6e1a62" stroke-width="1" d="M 36.075524746876404,57.96956599135724 C 47.24224000477168,47.68596460512846 53.05297314616313,51.90770935123954 46.72339182284403,65.70569425459581 L 53.27660817715597,65.70569425459581 C 46.94702685383687,51.90770935123954 52.75775999522832,47.68596460512846 63.924475253123596,57.96956599135724 L 65.94953047442182,51.73708687489691 C 50.87091882415881,53.493064614593585 47.74901808447734,44.42862425361204 72.0536001850269,38.45398030034643 L 54.16598002830396,25.4578635316813 C 55.99428487425821,50.419161231138084 46.40876941906463,50.25112330547885 43.419256239361054,35.3678844755018 L 38.11759284090686,39.2197684036482 C 51.348583736297286,46.662138123559565 49.12908117584119,53.493064614593585 34.05046952557818,51.73708687489691 Z"></path><circle fill="#6e1a62" stroke="#6e1a62" stroke-width="1" r="4" cx="32.880982706687234" cy="55.56230589874905"></circle><circle fill="#6e1a62" stroke="#6e1a62" stroke-width="1" r="4" cx="50" cy="68"></circle><circle fill="#6e1a62" stroke="#6e1a62" stroke-width="1" r="4" cx="67.11901729331277" cy="55.56230589874905"></circle><circle fill="#6dd54d" stroke="#6e1a62" stroke-width="1" r="13.49585502688717" cx="67.6597795711019" cy="25.69339867882919"></circle><circle fill="none" stroke="#ffffff" stroke-width="1.5" r="11.99585502688717" cx="67.6597795711019" cy="25.69339867882919"></circle><circle fill="#6e1a62" stroke="#6e1a62" stroke-width="1" r="4" cx="39.41986545873549" cy="35.43769410125094"></circle></svg>](https://plu.mx/plum/a/?ssrn_id=5731428 "PlumX Metrics Detail Page") - Usage - Abstract Views: 323 - Downloads: 38 [see details](https://plu.mx/plum/a/?ssrn_id=5731428 "PlumX Metrics Detail Page")