Bai Mudan (; literally White Peony), also romanized as Pai Mu-tan, is a character from Chinese mythology. She is described as the most beautiful

courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...

in the city of

Luoyang Luoyang ( zh, s=洛阳, t=洛陽, p=Luòyáng) is a city located in the confluence area of the Luo River and the Yellow River in the west of Henan province, China. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zheng ...

and a reincarnation of the Peony fairy.

Legends

One of White Peony's legends comes from the novel ''Journey to the East''. It is said that one day, the immortal

Lü Dongbin Lü Dongbin is a legendary Chinese scholar and poet who lived during the Tang dynasty whose lifetime supposedly spanned two hundred and twenty years. Elevated to the status of an immortal in the Chinese cultural sphere by Daoists, he is one of ...

took a walk in

spotted White Peony, and was attracted to her beauty. Lü Dongbin then transformed himself into a handsome scholar and slept with her many times. However, in accordance with Taoist alchemy, he never ejaculated, in order to preserve his Yang essence. Unfortunately, Lu's immortal colleague

Iron-Crutch Li Li Tieguai ( zh, t=李鐵拐, l=Iron Crutch Li) is a figure in Chinese folklore and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoism, Taoist pantheon. He is sometimes described as irascible and ill-tempered, but also benevolent to the poor, sick and the n ...

and

He Xiangu He Xiangu, birth name He Qiong, is a Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoist pantheon. She is often seen as the only female among the Eight Immortals (though the sex of Lan Caihe, another of the Eight Immortals, ...

taught Mudan how to make him ejaculate by tickling his groin. Finally, White Peony successfully made Lü Dongbin ejaculate and absorbed his Yang essence. Later she cultivated herself and became immortal as well. Feijianji, another novel from the Ming Dynasty had a slightly different version of this legend. According to Feijianji, Bai Mudan was a common girl (not a courtesan) who was seduced by Lü Dongbin. Later she became very weak since Lu practiced "cai yin bu yang" on her, meaning he absorbed her yin (female) essence, without losing his own yang (male) essence. When Bai's mother consulted with Buddhist Monk Huanglong (Yellow Dragon), he taught her how to make Lü Dongbin ejaculate and thus restore her yin essence. This event enraged Lü Dongbin, he tried to decapitate Huanglong using his flying sword but failed. In the end Lu admitted his mistakes and acknowledged Huanglong as his teacher. In another story White Peony was ordered by the minister

Su Shi Su Shi ( zh, t=, s=苏轼, p=Sū Shì; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese poet, essayist, calligrapher, painter, scholar-official, literatus, artist, pharmacologist, and gastronome wh ...

(Su Dongpo), to tempt his friend, monk Fo Yin. Some legends described Bai Mudan as a haughty courtesan who liked to humiliate her clients. She even asked the greedy merchant Chen Hua to kiss her buttocks and lick her anus, and farted into his mouth, an allusion for Chen Hua's constant flattery. The Chinese idiom for flattery is duo tun peng pi (hug the butt and praise the fart)

As goddess

Bai Mudan was deified as a goddess who tempts men or more specifically an ascetic due to her reputation as a seducer.

In popular culture

* White Peony appeared in classic novels such as Journey to the East (), Ba Xian Dedao (), Fei Jian Ji, and Han Xiangzi Quanzhuan-The Story of Han Xiangzi: The Alchemical Adventures of a Daoist Immortal (). * She is also a protagonist in the opera ''Lü Dongbin san xi Bai Mudan'' (Lü Dongbin three trick on White Peony). However, in some opera versions White Peony is depicted as an apothecary's daughter instead of courtesan. * Movies have been based on the opera. * White Peony appeared in many television series such as ''Dong You Ji'' (portrayed by

Phyllis Quek Phyllis Quek (born 23 August 1972) is a Malaysian actress and singer but continues to film on an ad-hoc basis and is currently managed by Hype Records. Quek was a full-time Mediacorp artist from 1995 to 2001, and was ranked by local media as ...

), ''Eight Avatar'' (portrayed by

Sonija Kwok Sonija Kwok Sin-nei (, born 22 July 1974) is a Hongkonger actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who worked with TVB from 1999 to 2015. Since 2015 she has been managed by GAIA Entertainment. Early life Kwok was born in Hong Kong and ...

), ''Baxian Guohai'' (ATV-1985) portrayed by Ban Ban, and ''Ghost Catcher Legend of Beauties'' (portrayed by Liu Yihan). She also appeared in the 1971 movie ''Eight Immortals'', portrayed by

Chang Chi-Yu Chang may refer to: People Surname * Chang (surname), the romanization of several separate Chinese surnames * Chang or Jang (Korean name), romanizations of the Korean surname Given name * Chang Bunker () (1811–1874), one of the origina ...

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Chinese Gods and Goddesses
p. 6
Unruly Gods: Divinity and Society in China
A Summary of Bai Mudan (White Peony) misadventure with Lü Dongbin story
Wu Yuantai. Dongyouji (Journey to the East), chapter 27-28

Peter Lovrik & Wang-Ngai Siu. Chinese Opera: Images and Stories
a synopsis for Chinese "Lü Dongbin san xi Bai Mudan" (Lü Dongbin three trick on White Peony)
Anning Jing. The Water God's Temple of the Guangsheng Monastery
{{Prostitution in China Chinese goddesses Chinese courtesans Eight Immortals