Eight Immortals

For other uses, see Eight Immortals (disambiguation).

The Eight Immortals

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The Eight Immortals (Chinese: ; pinyin: Bxin; WadeGiles: Pa-hsien) are a group of
legendary xian("immortals") in Chinese mythology. Each immortal's power can be transferred to
a power tool () that can bestow life or destroy evil. Together, these eight tools are called the
"Covert Eight Immortals" (). Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang or Song
dynasty. They are revered by the Taoists and are also a popular element in the secular Chinese
culture. They are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai Sea, which includes Penglai
Mountain-Island.
The Immortals are:

He Xian'gu
Cao Guojiu
Li Tieguai
Lan Caihe
L Dongbin
Han Xiangzi
Zhang Guolao
Zhongli Quan
In literature before the 1970s, they were sometimes translated as the Eight Genies. First
described in the Yuan Dynasty, they were probably named after the Eight Immortal Scholars of
the Han.

In art[edit]
The tradition of depicting humans who have become immortals is an ancient practice in Chinese
art, and when religious Taoism gained popularity, it quickly picked up this tradition with its own
immortals.[citation needed] While cults dedicated to various Taoist immortals date back to the Han
dynasty, 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 8 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 vases. They
were also common in sculptures owned by the nobility. Their most common appearance,
however, was in paintings.[citation needed] 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[citation needed]. We can see this
importance is only heightened in the Ming and Qing dynasties. 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,
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 L Dngbn met Zhongli Quan and began his path to immortality.[1]

In literature[edit]
The Eight Immortals crossing the sea, from Myths and Legends of China.[2] Clockwise in the boat starting
from the stern: He Xian'gu, Han Xiang Zi, Lan Caihe, Li Tieguai, L Dongbin, Zhongli Quan, Cao Guojiu
and outside the boat is Zhang Guo Lao.

The Immortals are the subject of many artistic creations, such as paintings and sculptures.
Examples of writings about them include:

The Yueyang Tower by Ma Zhiyuan

The Bamboo-leaved Boat ( zh y chun) by Fan Zi'an ( fn z n)
The Willow in the South of the City ( chng nn li) by Gu Zijing ( g z jng)
The most significant is The Eight Immortals Depart and Travel to the East (
b xin ch ch dng yo j) by Wu Yuantai ( w yun ta) in the Ming Dynasty.
There is another work, also made during the Ming (c. 14th-15th centuries), by an anonymous
writer, called The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea ( b xin gu hi). It is about the
Immortals on their way to attend the Conference of the Magical Peach ( pn ta hu)
when they encounter an ocean. Instead of relying on their clouds to get them across, L
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" ( ~, g xin shn tng) indicates the situation that
everybody shows off their skills and expertise to achieve a common goal.

In qigong and martial art[edit]

Furthermore, they have been linked to the initial development of qigong exercises such as
the Eight Piece Brocade.[3]There are some Chinese martial arts styles named after them, which
use fighting techniques that are attributed to the characteristics of each
immortal.[4] Some drunken boxing styles make extensive use of the Eight Immortals archetypes
for conditioning, qigong/meditation and combat training.[5] One subsection of BaYingQuan
drunken fist training includes methodologies for each of the eight immortals.

Reverence[edit]
Established in the Song Dynasty, the Xi'an 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, the Xian'gu Temple () has the Immortal Woman He from the group
as its focus of devotion.

Depictions in popular culture[edit]

Statue of the Eight Immortals in Penglai City, Shandong

Diorama at Haw Par Villa, Singapore, depicting the battle between the Eight Immortals and the forces of
the Dragon King of the East Sea.

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[citation needed].
In Jackie Chan's movie Drunken Master, there are eight "drunken" kungfu forms that are said to
be originated from the Eight Immortals. At first, the protagonist did not want to learn the Immortal
Woman He form because he saw it as a feminine form, but he eventually created his own version
of that form.
The 199899 Singaporean television series Legend of the Eight Immortals 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.
In the Andy Seto 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 comic book, the Eight Immortals appear to protect China along with the Collective
Man when the mutant Xorn 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. 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
Panku 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, Jackie Chan plays the character Lu Yan, who is supposed to be one
of the Eight Immortals, as revealed by the director in the movie's special feature, The Monkey
King and The Eight Immortals.
In the Tales of the Dragon expansion for Age of Mythology, the Eight Immortals are hero units for
the Chinese.

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Stephen Little: "Taoism and the Arts of China", page 313, 319-334. The Art Institute of
Chicago, 200
2. Jump up^ Werner, E. T. C. (1922). Myths & Legends of China. New York: George G. Harrap &
Co. Ltd. Retrieved 2007-03-14. (Project Gutenberg eText 15250)
3. Jump up^ Olson, Stuart Alve (2002). Qigong Teachings of a Taoist Immortal: The Eight Essential
Exercises of Master Li Ching-Yun. Bear & Company. ISBN 0-89281-945-6.
4. Jump up^ Leung, TingAlve (July 2000). The Drunkard Kung Fu and Its Application. Leung Ting
Co. ISBN 962-7284-08-4.
5. Jump up^ Drunken Eight Immortals Internal Kung Fu

Further reading[edit]
Lai, T. C., The Eight Immortals (Swindon Book Co., 1972).

External links[edit]
Stories and Myths of Eight Immortals. A collection of Eight Immortals stories