Home » CPA0005442

China: Han Xiangzi, one of the Daoist 'Eight Immortals'. He is said to be the nephew or grandson of Han Yu, a prominent statesman of Tang Court. Han Xiang studied Daoism under Lu Dongbin.

The Eight Immortals (Chinese: Baxian; Pa-hsien) are a group of legendary 'xian' (immortals; transcendents; fairies) in Chinese mythology. Each Immortal's power can give life or destroy evil. Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang Dynasty or Song Dynasty. They are revered in Daoism (Taoism) and are also a popular element in 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:

1. Immortal Woman He (He Xiangu)

2. Royal Uncle Cao (Cao Guojiu)

3. Iron-Crutch Li (Tieguai Li)

4. Lan Caihe

5. Lu Dongbin, (leader) 6. Philosopher Han Xiang (Han Xiang Zi)

7. Elder Zhang Guo (Zhang Guo Lao)

8. Han Zhongli (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.