Eight Immortals

Known as the Eight immortals (八仙 baxian), or Eight Taoist Immortals, individuals in this group of Taoists have attained immortality and are deified and revered as symbols of longevity, as are the personal symbols they carry: Han Xiangzi (韩湘子)- flute; Li Tieguai’(李 铁拐) – gourd with magic elixir and crutch; Lan Caihe (蓝采和) – basket of flowers or peaches; Lu Dongbin (吕洞宾) – sword and flywhisk; He Xiangu (何仙姑) – lotus, peach, fly whisk, or bamboo sieve; Zhang Guolao (张果老) – fish drum and rides a donkey; and Cao Guojiu (曹国舅) – ruyi scepter, castanets, and the fan of Han Zhongli. The group describes the Chinese imagination: male and female, young and old, appearing in mythical landscapes, riding legendary animals, crossing seas, floating atop clouds, and appearing singly, as a pair or a group of eight. The name Eight Immortals is very significant, as ba, the word for eight, is a homophone rhyming with fa, the word for “to expand.” To Chinese, this means to grow in wealth and happiness and explains why the number eight is so often used by Chinese for addresses, license plates and phone numbers.