He Xiangu
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He Xiangu, birth name He Qiong, is a Chinese mythological figure and one of the
Eight Immortals The Eight Immortals () are a group of legendary ''Xian (Taoism), xian (immortals)'' in Chinese mythology. Each immortal's power can be transferred to a vessel () that can bestow life or destroy evil. Together, these eight vessels are called the ...
in the
Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...
pantheon. She is often seen as the only female among the Eight Immortals (though the sex of Lan Caihe, another of the Eight Immortals, is somewhat ambiguous). He Xiangu is believed to have lived in the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
and was born in either Lingling District,
Yongzhou Yongzhou () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Hunan province, People's Republic of China, located on the southern bank of the Xiang River, which is formed by the confluence of the Xiao River, Xiao and Xiang Rivers, and bordering Guang ...
,
Hunan Hunan is an inland Provinces of China, province in Central China. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the Administrative divisions of China, province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Gu ...
or Zengcheng District,
Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
,
Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
, and some portrayals have her as the
daughter A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state, condition or quality of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show r ...
of a shopkeeper.


Legend

According to the ''Xian Fo Qi Zong'' (), He Xiangu was the daughter of He Tai (), a man from Zengcheng,
Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
. At birth, she had six long hairs on the crown of her head. When she was about 14 or 15, a divine personage appeared to her in a dream and instructed her to eat powdered
mica Micas ( ) are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into fragile elastic plates. This characteristic is described as ''perfect basal cleavage''. Mica is co ...
so that her body might become etherealised and immune from death. She did as instructed, vowed to remain a virgin, and gradually decreased her food intake.
Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was List of rulers of China#Tang dynasty, Empress of China from 660 to 705, ruling first through others and later in her own right. She ruled as queen consort , empress consort th ...
once sent a messenger to summon He Xiangu to the imperial court, but she disappeared on the way there. One day during the Jinglong era (707–710 CE) in the reign of Emperor Zhongzong of the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
, she ascended to Heaven in broad daylight and became an immortal. In the "Duxing Magazine" written by Zeng Minxing during the Song dynasty, it is recorded that when Di Qing was on a campaign to suppress the Nannong rebellion and passed through
Yongzhou Yongzhou () is a prefecture-level city in the south of Hunan province, People's Republic of China, located on the southern bank of the Xiang River, which is formed by the confluence of the Xiao River, Xiao and Xiang Rivers, and bordering Guang ...
, he heard that He Xiangu had the ability to foresee good and bad omens. He went to her to request a prediction regarding the success or failure of this expedition. He Xiangu said, "General, when you go there, you won't even see the enemy. Before you reach the enemy, they will have already been defeated and fled". Di Qing didn't initially believe in this fortunate prediction. Later, during the battle between the Song army and
Nong Zhigao Nong Zhigao (; modern Zhuang language: ; ) (1025–1055?) was a Zhuang people, Zhuang (Nùng people, Nùng) chieftain and the only emperor of Dali (大曆; 1041), Nantian (南天; 1045–1052), and eventually Danan (大南; 1052–1053). Today ...
, after only a few rounds, Nong Zhigao was defeated and fled to the
Dali Kingdom The Dali Kingdom, also known as the Dali State (; Bai language, Bai: Dablit Guaif), was a Bai people, Bai dynastic state situated in modern Yunnan province, China, from 937 to 1253. In 1253, it was Mongol conquest of China, conquered by the Mo ...
.


Depiction

He Xiangu's
lotus flower ''Nelumbo nucifera'', also known as the pink lotus, sacred lotus, Indian lotus, or simply lotus, is one of two extant taxon, extant species of aquatic plant in the Family (biology), family Nelumbonaceae. It is sometimes colloquially called a ...
improves one's health, mental and physical. She is depicted holding a lotus flower, and sometimes with the musical instrument known as '' sheng'', or a ''
fenghuang ''Fenghuang'' () are mythological birds featuring in traditions throughout the Sinosphere. ''Fenghuang'' are understood to reign over all other birds: males and females were originally termed ''feng'' and ''huang'' respectively, but a gender ...
'' to accompany her. She may also carry a bamboo ladle or fly-whisk.


Modern depictions

In the television show '' Jackie Chan Adventures'', He Xiangu was shown to be the Immortal who sealed away Tso Lan, The Moon Demon, even though show lore initially indicated that she sealed away Hsi Wu, The Sky Demon. In the musical theater song cycle album '' Eight Immortals (A Song Cycle)'' written by Sam Tsui and Casey Breeves, He Xiangu is depicted as a modern-day social media influencer addicted to crushed Tahitian moonstone supplements in the song #MyMorningRoutine sung by Ashley Chiu.


References

{{Eight Immortals Chinese goddesses Health deities Health goddesses Eight Immortals