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Legend Of The Eight Immortals
''Legend of the Eight Immortals'' is a Singaporean television series based on stories about the Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology and adapted from the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Dong You Ji'' (东游记; ''Journey to the East'') by Wu Yuantai (吴元泰). Produced by the Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS; now Mediacorp, MediaCorp) in collaboration with two mainland Chinese companies, the series had cast members from Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China. It was first aired in Singapore on Channel 8 (Singaporean TV channel), TCS Channel 8 from 26 November 1998 to 6 January 1999. Plot The Universe is under threat by a demonic cult led by Tongtian Jiaozhu. The Jade Emperor, the supreme ruler of Heaven, orders Immortal Donghua to find seven other worthy beings and form a team known as the Eight Immortals to counter the cult. After the first five members – Li Tieguai, Tieguai Li, Zhongli Quan, Han Zhongli, Zhang Guolao, Lan Caihe and He Xiangu – have joined, Don ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gods And Demons Fiction
Gods and demons fiction () is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that revolves around the deities, immortals, and monsters of Chinese mythology. The term ''shenmo xiaoshuo'', coined in the early 20th century by the writer and literary historian Lu Xun, literally means "fiction of gods and demons". Works of shenmo fiction include the novels ''Journey to the West'' and ''Investiture of the Gods''. History ''Shenmo'' first appeared in the Ming Dynasty as a genre of Written vernacular Chinese, vernacular fiction, a style of writing based on Varieties of Chinese, spoken Chinese rather than Classical Chinese. The roots of the genre are found in traditional folktales and legends. Plot elements like the use of magic and Taoist alchemy, alchemy were derived from Chinese mythology and religion, including Taoism and Buddhism, popular among Ming intellectuals. ''The Three Sui Quash the Demons' Revolt'' (, 14th century CE) is an early gods and demons novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. In the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Li Tieguai
Li Tieguai (Standard Chinese, Mandarin: ; lit. "Iron Crutch Li") is a Chinese mythology, Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoism, Taoist pantheon. He is sometimes described as irascible and ill-tempered, but also benevolent to the poor, sick and the needy, whose suffering he alleviates with special medicine from his calabash, Calabash gourd. He is often portrayed as an ugly old man with a dirty face, a scraggly beard, and messy hair held by a golden band. He walks with the aid of an iron crutch and often has a gourd slung over his shoulder or held in his hand. He often is depicted as a clown figure who descends to earth in the form of a beggar who uses his power to fight for the oppressed and needy. The legend says that Li was born in the Yuan dynasty (1279–1368), and was originally named "Li Xuan". However, in folklore, he is depicted as Laozi's apprentice, hence he should have lived in the sixth century BC. Apotheosis The Eight Immortals becam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bai Mudan (mythology)
Bai Mudan (白牡丹; literally White Peony), also romanized as Pai Mu-tan, is a character from Chinese mythology. She is described as the most beautiful courtesan in the city of Luoyang and a reincarnation of the Peony fairy. Legends One of White Peony's legends comes from the novel ''Journey to the East''. It is said that one day, the immortal Lü Dongbin took a walk in Luoyang spotted White Peony, and was attracted to her beauty. Lü Dongbin then transformed himself into a handsome scholar and slept with her many times. However, in accordance with Taoist alchemy, he never ejaculated, in order to preserve his Yang essence. Unfortunately, Lu's immortal colleague Iron-Crutch Li and He Xiangu taught Mudan how to make him ejaculate by tickling his groin. Finally, White Peony successfully made Lü Dongbin ejaculate and absorbed his Yang essence. Later she cultivated herself and became immortal as well. Feijianji, another novel from the Ming Dynasty had a slightly different version ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Song Dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, ending the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The Song often came into conflict with the contemporaneous Liao, Western Xia and Jin dynasties in northern China. After retreating to southern China, the Song was eventually conquered by the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The dynasty is divided into two periods: Northern Song and Southern Song. During the Northern Song (; 960–1127), the capital was in the northern city of Bianjing (now Kaifeng) and the dynasty controlled most of what is now Eastern China. The Southern Song (; 1127–1279) refers to the period after the Song lost control of its northern half to the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty in the Jin–Song Wars. At that time, the Song court retreated south of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Han Dynasty
The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warring interregnum known as the ChuHan contention (206–202 BC), and it was succeeded by the Three Kingdoms period (220–280 AD). The dynasty was briefly interrupted by the Xin dynasty (9–23 AD) established by usurping regent Wang Mang, and is thus separated into two periods—the Western Han (202 BC – 9 AD) and the Eastern Han (25–220 AD). Spanning over four centuries, the Han dynasty is considered a golden age in Chinese history, and it has influenced the identity of the Chinese civilization ever since. Modern China's majority ethnic group refers to themselves as the "Han people", the Sinitic language is known as "Han language", and the written Chinese is referred to as "Han characters". The emperor was at the pinnacle of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mak Hiu-wai
Mak Ho Wai (; 7 January 1946 – 14 April 2022) was a Hong Kong / Singaporean television artiste with TVB and then Mediacorp. Early life and education Mak studied at the National Taiwan Ocean University, receiving a bachelor's degree in electronic engineering. He later earned a master's degree in Chinese language studies at the Beijing Normal University at the age of 60. Career After graduating from National Taiwan Ocean University, Mak was a radio DJ in Taiwan a period of time. Having spent ten years in Taiwan, he was proficient in speaking standard Mandarin. Mak enrolled into the twelfth cohort of the TVB artiste training class in 1982 to fulfil the wishes of his younger brother, , who was also an actor with TVB. Mak Dai Shing died in the CAAC Flight 3303 accident in the same year. After completing the training course, he was retained by TVB as an actor, playing mostly a support role in numerous televised drama in the ensuing years. Notable roles during his time at TVB in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Han Yu
Han Yu (; 76825 December 824), courtesy name Tuizhi (), and commonly known by his posthumous name Han Wengong (韓文公), was a Chinese essayist, poet, philosopher, and politician during the Tang dynasty who significantly influenced the development of Neo-Confucianism. Described as "comparable in stature to Dante, Shakespeare or Goethe" for his influence on the Chinese literary tradition, Han Yu stood for strong central authority in politics and orthodoxy in cultural matters. He is often considered to be among China's finest prose writers. Ming dynasty scholar Mao Kun () ranked him first among the " Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song". Biography Han Yu was born in 768, in Heyang (河陽, present day Mengzhou) in Henan to a family of noble lineage. His father worked as a minor official but died when Han Yu was two, who was then raised in the family of his older brother, Han Hui (). He was a student of philosophical writings and confucian thought. His family moved ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jiutian Xuannü
In Chinese mythology, Jiutian Xuannü is the goddess of war, sex, and longevity.. Etymology This goddess was initially known as ''Xuannü'' ().. The name has been variously translated as the "Dark Lady" or the "Mysterious Lady". in English. In the late Tang dynasty, the Daoist master Du Guangting (850–933) created the title ''Jiutian Xuannü'' (九天玄女), adding ''Jiutian'' (meaning " f theNine Heavens"), to refer to the goddess. She is closely related to Sunü, who is her divine sister. Both their names combined, as ''xuansu zhidao'' (), signify the Daoist arts of the bedchamber. Stories The ''Yongcheng Jixian Lu'' (), written by the Daoist master Du Guangting (850–933), contains a biographical account of Jiutian Xuannü. It mentions that Jiutian Xuannü is the teacher of Huangdi and the disciple of Xi Wangmu.. The work relates a story about the goddess appearing before Huangdi during a time when the latter was in conflict with Chiyou. Chiyou had caused a great mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lü Dongbin
Lü Dongbin (796 CE – 1016 CE) is a legendary Chinese scholar and poet said to have lived during the Tang Dynasty. Whether he actually lived the two hundred and twenty years cannot be determined. Elevated to the status of an immortal in the Chinese cultural sphere by Daoists, he is one of the most widely known of the group of deities known as the Eight Immortals. Lü is also a historical figure and mentioned in the official history book ''History of Song''. He is widely considered to be one of the earliest masters of neidan, or internal alchemy. He is also depicted in art dressed as a scholar carrying a sword to dispel evil spirits. Character Lü Dongbin is usually portrayed as a scholarly, clever man with a genuine desire to help people obtain wisdom/enlightenment and to learn the Tao. However, he is often portrayed as having some character "flaws," not an uncommon theme for the colorful Taoist immortals, all of whom in general have various eccentricities: *He is portrayed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cao Guojiu
Cao Guojiu, literally Imperial Brother-in-law Cao, is a Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoist pantheon. His real name was Cao Yi while his courtesy name was Jingxiu, and he was better known to his contemporaries as Cao Jingxiu. Cao Guojiu is believed to be a descendant of Cao Bin, a general of the early Song dynasty, and a younger brother of Empress Cao, the wife of Emperor Renzong of the Song dynasty. As none of Emperor Renzong's sons survived their father, the emperor designated a younger male relative, who later became Emperor Yingzong, as his successor. As such, Cao could not have been a maternal uncle of Emperor Yingzong, so his "Imperial Uncle" status seemed ambiguous. However, as the Chinese character ''jiu'' (), which means "maternal uncle", can also mean "wife's brother", it is believed that the latter meaning should apply to Cao. In other words, Cao was the "Imperial Brother-in-Law" of Emperor Renzong rather than an "Imperial (Materna ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Han Xiangzi
Han Xiangzi, courtesy name Qingfu or Beizhu, is a Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoist pantheon. He studied Taoist magical arts under the tutelage of Lü Dongbin, another of the Eight Immortals. Han Xiangzi is often depicted carrying a '' dizi'' (Chinese flute), so he is also regarded as the patron deity of flutists. He is also believed to be the composer of the Taoist musical piece ''Tian Hua Yin'' (). Historical identity It is not known if Han Xiangzi existed historically. However, he is believed to be Han Xiang, a grandnephew of Han Yu, a prominent politician, poet and Confucian scholar who lived in the Tang dynasty. There are at least three different accounts about Han Xiang and Han Yu's grandnephew. Han Yu once dedicated three poems to his grandnephew, Han Xiang, whose courtesy name was "Qingfu". The three poems are ''Zuo Qian Zhi Languan Shi Zhisun Xiang'' (), and the two-part poem ''Su Zeng Jiang Kou Shi Zhisun Xiang'' (). In 819, during ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
He Xiangu
He Xiangu, birth name He Qiong, is a Chinese mythology, Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoism, Taoist pantheon. She is often seen as the only female among the Eight Immortals (though the sex of Lan Caihe, another of the Eight Immortals, is somewhat ambiguous). He Xiangu is believed to have lived in the Tang dynasty and was born in either Lingling District, Yongzhou, Hunan or Zengcheng District, Guangzhou, Guangdong. Legend According to the ''Xian Fo Qi Zong'' (), He Xiangu was the daughter of He Tai (), a man from Zengcheng District, Zengcheng, Guangdong. At birth, she had six long hairs on the crown of her head. When she was about 14 or 15, a divine personage appeared to her in a dream and instructed her to eat powdered mica so that her body might become etherealised and immune from death. She did as instructed, vowed to remain a virgin, and Bigu (grain avoidance), gradually decreased her food intake. Wu Zetian once sent a messenger to summon He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
