The Eight Immortals () are a group of legendary ''
xian
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by other names, is the capital of Shaanxi Province. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong Plain, the city is the third most populous city in Western China, after Chongqin ...
'' ("immortals") in
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions.
Much of t ...
. Each immortal's power can be transferred to a vessel () that can bestow life or destroy evil. Together, these eight vessels are called the "Covert Eight Immortals" (). Most of them are said to have been born in the
Tang
Tang or TANG most often refers to:
* Tang dynasty
* Tang (drink mix)
Tang or TANG may also refer to:
Chinese states and dynasties
* Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...
or
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 ...
. They are revered by the
Taoist
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...
s and are also a popular element in secular
Chinese culture
Chinese culture () is one of the world's oldest cultures, originating thousands of years ago. The culture prevails across a large geographical region in East Asia and is extremely diverse and varying, with customs and traditions varying grea ...
. They are said to live on a group of five islands in the
Bohai Sea
The Bohai Sea () is a marginal sea approximately in area on the east coast of Mainland China. It is the northwestern and innermost extension of the Yellow Sea, to which it connects to the east via the Bohai Strait. It has a mean depth of ...
, which includes
Mount Penglai
Penglai () is a legendary land of Chinese mythology. It is known in Japanese mythology as Hōrai. McCullough, Helen. ''Classical Japanese Prose'', p. 570. Stanford Univ. Press, 1990. .
Location
According to the ''Classic of Mountains and Seas ...
.
The Immortals are:
*
He Xiangu
He Xiangu, birth name He Qiong, is a Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the 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, ...
(), in modern context generally seen as the only female of the group, often depicted holding a lotus flower.
*
Cao Guojiu
Cao Guojiu, literally Imperial Brother-in-law Cao, is a Chinese mythology, Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoism, Taoist pantheon. His real name was Cao Yi while his courtesy name was Jingxiu, and he was better k ...
(), related to a
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 ...
emperor before he became an immortal.
*
Li Tieguai
Li Tieguai ( Mandarin: ; lit. "Iron Crutch Li") is a Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoist pantheon. He is sometimes described as irascible and ill-tempered, but also benevolent to the poor, sick and the needy, ...
(), considered to be mentally disturbed and associated with medicine and easing the suffering of the sick and needy, identified by his iron crutch and
Calabash
Calabash (; ''Lagenaria siceraria''), also known as bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, long melon, birdhouse gourd, New Guinea bean, Tasmania bean, and opo squash, is a vine grown for its fruit. It can be either harvested young to be consumed ...
bottle.
*
Lan Caihe
Lan Caihe ()"Lan Caihe." ''Encyclopedia Britannica.'' https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lan-CaiheDorothy Perkins. ''Encyclopedia of China: History and Culture.'' Page 140. is a Chinese mythological figure, and one of the Eight Immortals in the ...
(), originally pictured as female later developed an ambiguous or more accurately, a "transformative" gender and is considered the patron of
florists
Floristry is the production, commerce, and trade in flowers. It encompasses flower care and handling, floral design and arrangement, merchandising, production, display and flower delivery. Wholesale florists sell bulk flowers and related sup ...
[National Geographic Society (U.S.). ''National Geographic Essential Visual History of World Mythology.'' National Geographic Books, 2008. Page 340.][Dorothy Perkins. ''Encyclopedia of China: History and Culture.'' Page 140.] and gardeners.
[Valery M. Garrett. ''A Collector's Guide to Chinese Dress Accessories.'' Times Books International, 1997. Page 32.]
*
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 ...
(), a scholar and poet considered to be the leader of the Eight Immortals.
*
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 ...
(), a flute artist.
*
Zhang Guolao
Zhang Guo, better known as Zhang Guolao, is a Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoist pantheon. Among the Eight Immortals, Zhang Guolao, Zhongli Quan and Lü Yan were real historical figures. His existence is ...
(), a ''
fangshi
''Fangshi'' () were Chinese technical specialists who flourished from the third century BCE to the fifth century CE. English translations of ''fangshi'' include alchemist, astrologer, diviner, exorcist, geomancer, doctor, magician, monk, myst ...
'' symbol of longevity.
*
Zhongli Quan
Zhongli Quan, courtesy name Jidao, is a Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoist pantheon. He is also known as Han Zhongli because he was said to have been born in the Han dynasty. In legend, he wields a large f ...
(), associated with death and the power to create silver and gold, often depicted holding a fan.
In literature before the 1970s, they were sometimes translated as the Eight
Genie
Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources)
– are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic myt ...
s. First described in the
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fift ...
, they were probably named after the
Eight Immortal Scholars of the Han.
In art
The tradition of depicting humans who have become immortals is an ancient practice in Chinese art, and when religious
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...
gained popularity, it quickly picked up this tradition with its own immortals. While cults dedicated to various Taoist immortals date back to the
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 warr ...
, the popular and well-known Eight Immortals first appeared in the
Jin dynasty. The art of the Jin tombs of the 12th and 13th centuries depicts a group of eight Taoist immortals in wall murals and sculptures. They officially became known as the Eight Immortals in the writings and works of art of the Taoist group known as the Complete Realization (Quanshen). The most famous art depiction of the Eight Immortals from this period is a mural of them in the Eternal Joy Temple (Yongle Gong) at Ruicheng.
The Eight Immortals are considered to be signs of prosperity and longevity, so they are popular themes in ancient and medieval art. They were frequent adornments on
celadon
''Celadon'' () is a term for pottery denoting both wares glazed in the jade green celadon color, also known as greenware or "green ware" (the term specialists now tend to use), and a type of transparent glaze, often with small cracks, that wa ...
vases. They were also common in sculptures owned by the nobility. Their most common appearance, however, was in paintings. Many silk paintings, wall murals, and wood block prints remain of the Eight Immortals. They were often depicted either together in one group, or alone to give more homage to that specific immortal.
An interesting feature of early Eight Immortal artwork is that they are often accompanied by jade hand maidens, commonly depicted servants of the higher ranked deities, or other images showing great spiritual power. This shows that early on, the Eight Immortals quickly became eminent figures of the Taoist religion and had great importance. We can see this importance is only heightened in the
Ming
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...
and
Qing dynasties
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speaki ...
. During these dynasties, the Eight Immortals were very frequently associated with other prominent spiritual deities in artwork. There are numerous paintings with them and the
Three Stars (the gods of longevity, prosperity, and good fortune) together. Also, other deities of importance, such as the
Queen Mother of the West
The Queen Mother of the West, known by various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese religion and mythology, also worshipped in neighbouring Asian countries, and attested from ancient times. From her name alone some of her most importan ...
, are commonly seen in the company of the Eight Immortals.
The artwork of the Eight Immortals is not limited to paintings or other visual arts. They are quite prominent in written works too. Authors and playwrights wrote numerous stories and plays on the Eight Immortals. One famous story that has been rewritten many times and turned into several plays (the most famous written by Mu Zhiyuan in the Yuan Dynasty) is
The Yellow-Millet Dream, which is the story of how Lǚ Dòngbīn met Zhongli Quan and began his path to immortality.
In literature
![Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea - Project Gutenberg eText 15250](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Eight_Immortals_Crossing_the_Sea_-_Project_Gutenberg_eText_15250.jpg)
The Immortals are the subject of many artistic creations, such as
painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...
s and
sculpture
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
s. Examples of
writing
Writing is a medium of human communication which involves the representation of a language through a system of physically Epigraphy, inscribed, Printing press, mechanically transferred, or Word processor, digitally represented Symbols (semiot ...
s about them include:
* ''The
Yueyang Tower
Yueyang Tower () is an ancient Chinese tower in Yueyang, Hunan Province, on the shore of Lake Dongting. Alongside the Pavilion of Prince Teng and Yellow Crane Tower, it is one of the Three Great Towers of Jiangnan. Yueyang Tower became famous ...
'' by
Ma Zhiyuan
Ma Zhiyuan (, 1250–1321), courtesy name Dongli (), was a Chinese poet and celebrated playwright, a native of Dadu (present-day Beijing) during the Yuan dynasty.Cihai: Page 1132-1133.
Among his achievements is the development and popularizi ...
* ''The Bamboo-leaved Boat'' () by Fan Zi'an ()
* ''The Willow in the South of the City'' () by Gu Zijing ()
* The most significant is ''The Eight Immortals Depart and Travel to the East'' () by Wu Yuantai () in the
Ming Dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
.
* There is another work, also made during the Ming (c. 14th–15th centuries), by an anonymous writer, called ''The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea'' (). It is about the Immortals on their way to attend the Conference of the
Magical Peach () when they encounter an
ocean
The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...
. Instead of relying on their clouds to get them across, Lü Dongbin suggested that they each should exercise their unique powers to get across. Derived from this, the
Chinese proverb "The Eight Immortals cross the sea, each reveals its divine powers" () indicates the situation that everybody shows off their skills and expertise to achieve a common goal.
In qigong and martial arts
Furthermore, they have been linked to the initial development of
qigong
''Qigong'' (), ''qi gong'', ''chi kung'', ''chi 'ung'', or ''chi gung'' () is a system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation
used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training. With roots in ...
exercises such as the
Eight Piece Brocade. There are some
Chinese martial arts styles named after them, which use fighting techniques that are attributed to the characteristics of each immortal. Some
drunken boxing styles make extensive use of the Eight Immortals archetypes for conditioning, qigong/meditation and combat training.
One subsection of BaYingQuan drunken fist training includes methodologies for each of the eight immortals.
Reverence
Established in the
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 ...
, the
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...
temple Eight Immortals Palace (), formerly Eight Immortals Nunnery (), is where statues of the Immortals can be found in the Hall of Eight Immortals (). There are many other shrines dedicated to them throughout China and Taiwan. In
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, the Xian'gu Temple () is dedicated to the Immortal Lady He from the group as its focus of devotion.
Depictions in popular culture
![Haw Par Villa 9, Dec 14](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Haw_Par_Villa_9%2C_Dec_14.jpg)
In modern China, the Eight Immortals are still a popular theme in artwork. Paintings, pottery, and statues are still common in households across China and are even gaining some popularity worldwide.
Several movies about the Eight Immortals have been produced in China in recent years.
In
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
's films ''
Drunken Master
''Drunken Master'' () is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, and Hwang Jang-lee. It was a success at the Hong Kong box office, earning two and a half times the amount of ...
'' and ''
Drunken Master II
''Drunken Master II'' () is a 1994 Hong Kong action-comedy kung fu film directed by Lau Kar-leung and starring Jackie Chan as Chinese martial arts master and a Cantonese folk hero, Wong Fei-hung. It was Chan's first traditional style martial ar ...
'', there are eight "drunken"
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. Th ...
forms that are said to be originated from the Eight Immortals. At first, the protagonist did not want to learn the
Immortal Lady He form because he saw it as feminine, but he eventually created his own version of it.
The 1998–99 Singaporean television series ''
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 ...
'' was based on stories of the Eight Immortals and adapted from the novel ''Dong You Ji''.
The Eight Immortals play an important part in the plot of the video game ''
Fear Effect 2
''Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix'' is an Action-adventure game, action-adventure video game developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment and published by Eidos Interactive for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation, and is the prequel to ''Fear Effect''. ...
''.
In the
Andy Seto
Andy Seto (; born 3 June 1969) is a comic artist who specialises in martial-arts based stories.
Biography
Seto's works include his main series, "Cyber Weapon Z." He has also drawn a graphic novel adaptation of the earlier Crouching Tiger, Hidd ...
graphic novel series ''Saint Legend'', the Eight Immortals reappear to protect the Buddhist faith from evil spirits set on destroying it.
In the ''
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, first appearing in Uncanny X-Men, ''The X-Men'' #1 by artist/co-plotter Jack Kirby and writer/editor Stan Lee in 1963. Although initially cancelled in ...
'' comic book, the Eight Immortals appear to protect China along with the
Collective Man
The Collective Man (Sun, Chang, Ho, Lin, and Han Tao-Yu) is a Chinese superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Collective Man is actually an identity shared by the Tao-Yu brothers, a set of quintuplets. They pos ...
when the mutant
Xorn
Xorn is the alias of two fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in '' New X-Men Annual 2001'', he was created by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. He is a mutant who has a miniature ...
caused a massacre in one small village.
In the ''
Immortal Iron Fist'' comic book, there are seven supreme kung fu practitioners, called the Seven Immortal Weapons. They each hail from other-dimensional cities and must fight for their city's chance to appear on Earth. Aside from being named the "Immortal" Weapons, the most overt reference to the Eight Immortals is that one Immortal Weapon, Fat Cobra, hails from and represents a city called "Peng Lai Island".
In the roleplaying game ''
Feng Shui'', the Eight Immortals appear in the sourcebook ''Thorns of the Lotus''.
The Eight Immortals played a role in the animated show ''
Jackie Chan Adventures
''Jackie Chan Adventures'' is an American animated television series, created by John Rogers, Duane Capizzi and Jeff Kline, and produced by Sony Pictures Television (originally as Columbia TriStar Television for the first three seasons). The car ...
''. In the show, the Immortals were said to be the ones who defeated the Eight Demon Sorcerers and sealed them away in the netherworld using items that symbolized their powers. They then crafted the Pan'ku box as a key to opening the portals that lead into the demons' prison. Later on in the series, the items the Immortals used to seal away the demons the first time are revealed to have absorbed some of the demons' chi and become the targets of Drago, the son of Shendu (one of the Demon Sorcerers), to enhance his own powers.
In ''
The Forbidden Kingdom
''The Forbidden Kingdom'' (: ''Gong Fu Zhi Wang'' ( Mandarin) or ''Gung Fu Ji Wong'' (Cantonese) and translated ''King of Kung Fu'' (English); Working title: ''The J & J Project'') is a 2008 wuxia film written by John Fusco, and directed by Rob ...
'',
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
plays the character
Lu Yan
Lu Yan (路巖) (829–874), courtesy name Luzhan (魯瞻), was an official of the Tang dynasty of China, serving as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Yizong.
Background and early career
Lu Yan was born in 829, during the reign of Emp ...
, who is supposed to be one of the Eight Immortals, as revealed by the director in the movie's special feature, ''The
Monkey King
The Monkey King, also known as Sun Wukong ( zh, t=孫悟空, s=孙悟空, first=t) in Mandarin Chinese, is a legendary mythical figure best known as one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West'' ( zh, ...
and The Eight Immortals''.
In the Tales of the Dragon expansion for ''
Age of Mythology
''Age of Mythology'' (''AoM'') is a real-time strategy video game developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released on October 30, 2002, in North America and a week later in Europe.
A spin-off from the '' ...
'', the Eight Immortals are hero units for the Chinese.
In ''
The Iron Druid Chronicles
''The Iron Druid Chronicles'' is a series of urban fantasy novels, novellas, novelettes and short stories, written by Kevin Hearne and published by Del Rey Books. All the books, including short stories, have recorded as audiobooks narrated by Luk ...
,'' Zhang Guolao joins the party journeying to
Asgard
In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr'' ; "enclosure of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in a multitude of Old Norse sagas and mythological texts. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir ...
to slay
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...
in vengeance for the Norse gods crimes. Zhang Guolao's grudge stems from Thor killing his donkey in a trick.
Asian-American death metal band Ripped to Shreds' second album, ''亂 (Luan)'' (2020), features a song about the Eight Immortals calle
"Eight Immortals Feast"
References
Further reading
* Lai, T. C., ''The Eight Immortals'' (Swindon Book Co., 1972).
* Mantak Chia, Johnathon Dao, ''The Eight Immortal Healers: Taoist Wisdom for Radiant Health'' (Simon and Schuster).
External links
*
Stories and Myths of Eight Immortals. A collection of Eight Immortals stories
{{Authority control
Chinese deities
Chinese art
Taoist art
Taoist immortals
Chinese iconography