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Eight Immortals
Ba Xian ("The Eight Immortals") is the most popular group of heroes in Chinese Taoist mythology.
It included Lu Dongbin, Li Teguai, Zhongli Quan, Han Xiangzi, Cao Guojiu, Zhang Golao, Lan Caihe and He Xiangu.
They lived at different times and had various wonderful abilities (for example, the ability to walk on water).
Each of the Ba xian represents one of the states of human existence: male, female, old age, youth, poverty, wealth, nobility and insignificance.
* * *
The eight immortals were very much loved in China.
Once they actually lived in different provinces of a great country.
All of them were a little strange, and probably that's why stories about them were listened to more often than others and passed down from generation to generation.
He was wandering around the country in a blue torn dress, with a boot on one foot and the other barefoot.
In summer, he insulated the robe with cotton wool, and in winter he lay on the snow.
He wandered through the city's bazaars, singing cheerful songs, and for this people gave him coins, which Lan Caihe strung on a long cord and dragged behind him.
But when he met with other immortals, he gave them his castanets, leaving only a basket of chrysanthemums for himself.
Therefore, he became the patron of gardeners.
But in Lu Dongbin, it was difficult to recognize an immortal.
He rather resembled a spirit: he had the face of a dragon, the neck of a crane, the body of a tiger, and the back of a monkey.
But this amazing appearance helped him to get close to evil spirits and successfully fight them.
In addition, Lu Dongbin had a great memory.
In one day, he could memorize ten thousand hieroglyphs!
Lu is often depicted with a boy in his arms, because when he meets men and women, he wishes for sons to everyone.
Tall and handsome, all covered with tattoos, Zhongli Quan could perfectly write hieroglyphs and ... command troops.
He was invincible, but one day another immortal, the lame Te Guaili, told the enemy how to defeat the commander.
He himself, leaning on an iron stick and waving a gourd in which he kept medicinal potions, went to the river.
There he sat down on a bamboo leaf and calmly swam to the other side.
And Zhongli Quan was defeated and fled to the desert in disgrace.
There he hit a high wall, which split.
And in the crack was a jade box.
He opened it, and inside there were instructions on how to become immortal!
The magician and wizard was Zhang Golao.
He owned a white donkey that ran ten thousand li in a day!
Before Zhang went to bed, he folded the donkey like a piece of paper.
But the next morning, as soon as the owner sprinkled the bundle with water, he straightened out and turned back into a donkey.
Zhang sat on it for some reason, facing the tail and continued on his way.
All the emperors used the services of a magician, because he could predict the future and remembered everything about the past.
Han Sanzi was also a magician.
Once, at the request of the emperor, he caused rain and snow during a drought, but... he managed to leave the estate of his uncle, with whom he was in a quarrel, without a single drop of precipitation.
And another time, during a feast, he filled a basin with earth and, in front of the eyes of those present, grew wonderful flowers, the petals of which were covered with golden hieroglyphs.
Cao Guojiu alone did not know how to do anything, but just wandered around the country.
But one day Lan Caihe gave him his castanets.
And Cao began to sing, dance, make amazing faces.
All artists consider him their patron.
Among the immortals, there was one woman — He Xiangu.
She knew how to do without food, predicted fate and patronized the household.
From time to time, the gods instructed her to sweep the flowers at the heavenly gates.
After working in the sky, she again descended to earth.
Each of the immortals lived on their own, but sometimes they gathered together.
Once they were invited by the queen of the West, Xi Wangmu.
There they feasted to their heart's content and went to visit the lord of the East.
On their way was the Eastern Sea.
But even the watery abyss was undisturbed by the immortal.
Everyone started swimming on what they owned: some on castanets, some on an iron stick, some on a basket, some on a donkey.
All this turned out to be unsinkable.
