Peng Zu (彭祖, "Ancestor Peng") is a legendary long-lived figure in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. He supposedly lived over 834 years in the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and ...

. Some legends say that one year was 60 days in ancient China; that made him more than 130 years old. Others say he was over 200 years old or over 400 years old. Another says he was accidentally left off of the death list in heaven. Peng Zu was regarded as a saint in

Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...

. The pursuit of

elixir of life The elixir of life, also known as elixir of immortality, is a potion that supposedly grants the drinker eternal life and/or eternal youth. This elixir was also said to cure all diseases. Alchemists in various ages and cultures sought the means ...

by practitioners of

was highly influenced by Peng Zu. He is well known in Chinese culture as a symbol for longevity, nutrition treatments, and sex therapy treatments. Legend maintains he married more than 100 wives and fathered hundreds of children, as late as in his 834th year. According to the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...

's '' Guoyu (Discourses of the States)'', 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 ...

's ''

Shiben The ''Shiben'' or ''Book of Origins'' (Pinyin: ''shìběn''; Chinese; 世本; ) was an early Chinese encyclopedia which recorded imperial genealogies from the mythical Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors down to the late Spring and Autumn period ( ...

(Genealogy)'', and the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

's ''

Kuodi Zhi ''Kuodi Zhi'' (), usually translated as ''Comprehensive Gazetteer'' or ''Description Encompassing the Earth'', is an early Tang dynasty survey of Tang China's geography and administrative divisions. It was compiled by Li Tai, Prince of Wei, a son o ...

(Record of Geography)'', Peng Zu was the founder of

Dapeng Dapeng or Da Peng may refer to: *Peng (mythology) or Da Peng, mythological bird *Dapeng (state) (大彭), a state during the late Shang dynasty *Dapeng Peninsula (大鹏半岛), in the east of Shenzhen *Dapeng Subdistrict (大鹏街道), Longgang D ...

and made marquis by the kings of the

. He was mentioned in the Analects, where Confucius claims that he is like Peng Zu because he was a transmitter of the knowledge passed on by the ancients rather than a creator of knowledge.

Description

One of his life extending techniques was vitality absorb skill, which purportedly extracts female energy into the male body (harvesting from Yin to supplement Yang) throughout intimacy. He also consumed medical cuisine on a daily basis to sustain life. He ate naturally and used herbs to enrich his nutrition. He was known for cooking excellent ginseng chicken soup.Connell, Brendan (2012)
''Lives of Notorious Cooks''
Chomu Press. Chinese people believe that his long life, good health, and sexual energy were attributed to the food he ate. His life style emphasized meditation. He was viewed as one of the pioneers 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 ...

. The place where he lived and died was called Peng Shan (彭山, "Peng Mountain"), from which the district was named (in Sichuan Province, China). His shrine, tomb, and statue are preserved in

Pengshan District Pengshan District () is a district of the city of Meishan, Sichuan Province Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" b ...

. There is a Peng Zu Festival every year for people to pay respects to his legacy and pray for healthier, happier, and longer lives. His pictures hang in houses all over China and are popular birthday gifts for senior citizens.

References

Bibliography

* {{Authority control Shang dynasty people Taoist immortals