Ancient Chinese Art
There are many immortals in Chinese mythology, including the Eight Immortals. Eight is an important symbolic number to the Chinese, with these eight being Taoist deities. These eight were said to be ordinary human beings who had life-changing experiences that made them immortal. The one female in the group is He Xiangu. She is identified by the lotus she carries (the flower of open-heartedness) and sometimes by the peach of immortality. Living at the time of the Empress Wu (AD 684-705), it is said that He Xiangu found a mother-of-pearl stone. She was told in a dream to grind the stone and eat some of it so that she would be able to travel effortlessly and quickly anywhere. She also realized after eating the stone that she did not need to eat to live. On her way to see the Empress, who had summoned her, He Xiangu disappeared from sight and became an immortal. In this tapestry, she holds the lingzhi fungus and the lotus in her hands. A crane (symbol of long life) and a monkey (a symbol of the monkey god Sun Wukong) are nearby. It is said that the monkey god became immortal by stealing the magic peaches from the Queen Mother of the West, and ruining her birthday party for the other immortals.
Gathering of Immortals at Yaochi, detail of He Xiangu. Kesi tapestry (slit silk), partly painted. Height 182.8 cm. Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795). Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.