Taoism 101

Lesson 4: Mythology of Taoism

Eight Immortals II

Cao Guojiu (Ts'ao Kuo-chiu) was reputed to be the brother of a queen, but had left his life in the imperial court to seek out the Tao. He eventually met Lu Dongbin, who took him on as his student. It is said he experience much grief in the court, but impressed the other immortals with his keen understanding of the nature of the Tao.

Zhang Guo (Chang Kuo) is said to have possessed a mule that could cover great distance in a single day, and could be folded like a piece of paper for storage, which he would sometimes ride backwards. It is said that government officials made repeated attempts to hire him as an adviser, though each time he faked his own death through magical means. When his true identity - a white bat - was revealed to the court, the revealer died, and was only revived by the compassionate intercession of Zhang Guo.

Lan Caihe (Lan Ts'ai-ho) is the most obscure and ambiguous of the eight. There conflicting reports of his or her sex, some saying he was a man unaware of how to be a man. He/she is consistently reported as being a minstrel, excelling in music and eventually using music to expound the virtues of the Tao. It is said that Lan Caihe received immortality after tending to the sores of Li Xuan disguised as a beggar.

The final and only confirmed female member of the Eight Immortals was He Xiangu (Ho Hsien-ku), though sometimes it is said she was only a confused man. She, like other Immortals, had an auspicious birth - she was born with six golden hairs on her head. She rejected the idea of marriage and family, and instead pursued a life of Taoist pursuit. She was instructed by other Immortals in a dream as to the means of achieving immortality.

The Eight Immortals often travel together, going on all manners of adventures. One story tells of their desire to visit the earthly realm - usually using clouds as transport from their home, the decided to cross the sea using their various emblems for travel - Li Xuan, for instance, used his crutch, while Zhang Guo rode his mule through the ocean. They encountered several hostile agents on their journey, but were able to vanquish them all using their skills and items. This story is a popular subject for traditional Chinese opera.

Every one of the Eight Immortals represents some facet of Chinese society. The groups they represent are often clear from their biographies. Han Zhongli represents the military, while Lu Dongbin represents scholars. Li Xuan carries a crutch and thus represents the sick or injured; Han Xiang was a cultured member of society and thus represents that group. Cao Guojiu represents the nobility, Zhang Guo the old, Lan Caihe the poor, and He Xiangu represents young maidens.

  1  2  3  4  5