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Liu Haichan was a ( 10th century)
Daoist 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', ' ...
''
xian Xi'an is the list of capitals in China, capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populou ...
'' ("transcendent; immortal") who was a patriarch of the
Quanzhen School The Quanzhen School (全真: ''Quánzhēn'', "All-True", Complete Perfection, Integrating Perfection or Complete Reality) is currently one of the two dominant denominations of Daoism in China. It originated in the Shandong peninsula in 1170. O ...
, and a master of ''
neidan Neidan, or internal alchemy (), is an array of esoteric doctrines and physical, mental, and spiritual practices that Taoist initiates use to prolong life and create an immortal spiritual body that would survive after death. Also known as Jindan ...
'' "internal alchemy" techniques. Liu Haichan is associated with other Daoist transcendents, especially
Zhongli Quan Zhongli Quan, courtesy name Jidao, is a Chinese mythology, Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoism, Taoist pantheon. He is also known as Han Zhongli because he was said to have been born in the Han dynasty. In leg ...
and
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 ...
, two 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 ...
. Traditional
Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...
and
Japanese art Japanese art consists of a wide range of art styles and media that includes Jōmon pottery, ancient pottery, Japanese sculpture, sculpture, Ink wash painting, ink painting and Japanese calligraphy, calligraphy on silk and paper, Ukiyo-e, paint ...
frequently represents Liu with a string of square-holed
cash In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In book-keeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-i ...
coins and a mythical three-legged ''chanchu'' (; "toad; toad in the Moon"). In the present day, it is called the ''
Jin Chan The Jin Chan (), also called Chan Chuy () or "Zhaocai Chan Chu" (), is most commonly translated as "Money Toad" or "Money Frog". It represents a popular feng shui charm for prosperity. This mythical creature is said to appear during the full moon ...
'' (), literally meaning "Money Toad", and Liu Haichan is considered an embodiment of
Caishen Caishen () is the mythological figure worshipped in the Chinese folk religion and Taoism. He has been identified with many historical figures, viewed as his embodied forms, among whom Zhao Gongming (, Wade–Giles: ''Chao Kung-ming''; also kn ...
, the God of Wealth.


Names

Liu Haichan is known by many names.
Liu Liu (; or ) is an East Asian surname. pinyin: in Mandarin Chinese, in Cantonese. It is the family name of the Han dynasty emperors. The character originally meant 'battle axe', but is now used only as a surname. It is listed 252nd in the clas ...
Liu (; or ) is an East Asian surname. pinyin: in Mandarin Chinese, in Cantonese. It is the family name of the Han dynasty emperors. The character originally meant 'battle axe', but is now used only as a surname. It is listed 252nd in the clas ...
is a common
Chinese family name Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in Greater China, Korea, Vietnam and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, unlike the W ...
, notably for the
Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...
imperial family. Haichan combines ''hǎi'' "sea; ocean; huge group (of people/things)" and ''chán'' "toad", used in the
compound Compound may refer to: Architecture and built environments * Compound (enclosure), a cluster of buildings having a shared purpose, usually inside a fence or wall ** Compound (fortification), a version of the above fortified with defensive struc ...
''chánchú'' 蟾蜍 (蟾諸 or 詹諸) "toad; fabled toad in the moon". One source, the (early 17th century) ''Lidai Shenxian tongjian'' 歷代神仙通鑒 "Complete Historical Record of Immortals" takes Liuhai 劉海 as a
Chinese compound surname A Chinese compound surname is a Chinese surname using more than one character. Many of these compound surnames derive from Zhou dynasty Chinese noble and official titles, professions, place names and other areas, to serve a purpose. Some are or ...
, but that is otherwise unsupported. Liu's
given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...
was Cao 操 "grasp; conduct", which he later changed to Xuanying 玄英 "mysterious blossom".
Han Zhao The Han-Zhao ( zh, s=汉赵, t=漢趙, p=Hàn Zhào; 304–329 AD), or Former Zhao ( zh, s=前赵, t=前趙, p=Qián Zhào), was a dynastic state of China ruled by the Liu ( Luandi) clan of Chuge-Xiongnu ethnicity during the Sixteen Kingdoms per ...
Emperor Liu Cong (d. 318) had a son also named Liu Cao 劉操, who became Prince of Wei in 312. Liu Haichan's
courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...
s were Zongcheng 宗成, Zhaoyuan 昭元, and Zhaoyuan 昭遠. Liu's Daoist philosophical name is Haichanzi 海蟾子 "Master Sea-Toad". In later generations, he was simply called Liu Hai 劉海. The immortal Liu Hai is usually depicted as a young man with
bangs Bang, bang!, or bangs may refer to: Products * M1922 Bang rifle, a US semi-automatic rifle designed by Søren Hansen Bang * Bang, a List of model car brands, model car brand * Bang (beverage), an energy drink Geography * Bang, Central African ...
, and his
eponym An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...
''liúhǎi'' 劉海 means "bangs; fringe" in
Modern Standard Chinese Standard Chinese ( zh, s=现代标准汉语, t=現代標準漢語, p=Xiàndài biāozhǔn hànyǔ, l=modern standard Han speech) is a modern Standard language, standard form of Mandarin Chinese that was first codified during the Republic of ...
. In Chinese
biological classification In biology, taxonomy () is the scientific study of naming, defining ( circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxa (singular: taxon), and these groups are give ...
, the name ''hǎi chánchú'' 海蟾蜍 (lit. "sea toad") designates the toad species ''
Bufo marinus The cane toad (''Rhinella marina''), also known as the giant neotropical toad or marine toad, is a large, terrestrial true toad native to South and mainland Central America, but which has been introduced to various islands throughout Oceania ...
'' (which is not native to China), while ''hǎi chányú'' 海蟾魚 (lit. "sea toad fish") designates the genus ''
Thalassophryne ''Thalassophryne'' is a genus of toadfishes found in the western Atlantic Ocean with one species (''T. amazonica'') found in the Amazon River and some of its tributaries. Species There are currently six recognized species in this genus: * '' T ...
'' of the toadfish family
Batrachoididae Batrachoididae is the only family in the ray-finned fish order Batrachoidiformes . Members of this family are usually called toadfish or frogfish: both the English common name and scientific name refer to their toad-like appearance (''batrakhos ...
(
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
θαλασσα ''thalassa'' "sea" + φρυνε ''phryne'' "toad") - likewise not native to China. Certain species of subfamily
Batrachoidinae Batrachoidinae is a subfamily of toadfish in the family Batrachoididae. It contains 25 species in the following 6 genera: * '' Amphichthys'' (2 species) * '' Batrachoides'' (9 species) * '' Opsanus'' (6 species) * '' Potamobatrachus'' (1 speci ...
of the Batrachoididae, on the other hand, are native to
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
n waters and, with their toad-like appearance (featuring a bloated thorax narrowing abruptly to a slender tail) bear a distinct similarity to the traditional jīnchán: the thin tail of the toadfish, with its attendant tail fin resembles the curious third leg (with its attendant webbed foot) of the jīnchán . The English common name ''
sea toad The sea toads and coffinfishes are a Family (biology), family, the Chaunacidae, of deep-sea Actinopterygii, ray-finned fishes belonging to the monotypic suborder Chaunacoidei within the order Lophiiformes, the anglerfishes. These are bottom-dwelli ...
'', by contrast, is a catch-all for the deep-sea
anglerfish The anglerfish are ray-finned fish in the order Lophiiformes (). Both the order's common name, common and scientific name comes from the characteristic mode of predation, in which a modified dorsal Fish fin#Ray-fins, fin ray acts as a Aggressiv ...
family Chaunacidae. In the
Japanese language is the principal language of the Japonic languages, Japonic language family spoken by the Japanese people. It has around 123 million speakers, primarily in Japan, the only country where it is the national language, and within the Japanese dia ...
, Ryū Kaisen 劉海蟾 is also called Gama
Sennin A ''xian'' ( zh, s=仙, t=僊, p=xiān, w=hsien) is any manner of immortal or mythical being within the Taoist pantheon or Chinese folklore. has often been translated into English as "immortal" or "wizard". Traditionally, ''xian'' refers t ...
蝦蟇仙人 "Toad Immortal" and his three-legged toad companion is identified as Seiajin 青蛙神 "Frog God". Chinese ''Qīngwā Shén'' 青蛙神 The Frog God is a
short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
by
Pu Songling Pu Songling ( zh, t= , 5 June 1640 – 25 February 1715) was a Chinese writer during the Qing dynasty, best known as the author of '' Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio'' (''Liaozhai zhiyi''). Biography Pu was born into a poor merchant famil ...
collected in the (1740) ''
Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio ''Liaozhai zhiyi'', sometimes shortened to ''Liaozhai'', known in English as ''Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio'', ''Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio'', ''Strange Tales from Make-Do Studio'', or literally ''Strange Tales from a Studio o ...
'' The sinologist Henri Doré says there is no agreement as to Liu Haichan's name, much less as to his acts and deeds.


Legends

The
hagiographic A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an wiktionary:adulatory, adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religi ...
data on Liu Haichan are scant. His name is rarely mentioned, even in records about his putative beneficiary Zhang Boduan, except for one statement that Liu conveyed ''jīndān'' 金丹 "pill of immortality" formulas to Zhang during his visit to the region of Shu in 1069. Liu Haichan is first recorded in several collections of ''
biji Bijî may refer to: * '' Biji'' (soy pulp), a food * Bijiguk (), one of the historic small statelets that formed Silla * Biji (Chinese literature) * Biji - Punjabi word for Mom or grandmother **Biji, a character played by Kamlesh Gill in the 2012 ...
'' "miscellaneous notes; notebooks" as a disciple of
Chen Tuan Chen Tuan 陳摶 (died August 25, 989) was a Chinese Taoist credited with creation of the kung fu system Liuhebafa ("Six Harmonies and Eight Methods"). Along with this internal art, he is also said to be associated with a method of qi (energy ...
(d. 989). Later hagiography is only found in compilations of the Quanzhen School, which claimed him as a patriarch. The earliest biography of Liu Haichan is in the (1241) ''Jinlian zhengzong ji'' 金蓮正宗記 "Records of the Orthodox Sect of the Golden Lotus", which inspired most later accounts of his life. It records that Liu was a native of the
Yan Mountains The Yan Mountains, also known by their Chinese name Yanshan, are a major mountain range to the north of the North China Plain, principally in the province of Hebei. The range rises between the Chaobai River on the west and the Shanhai Pass on ...
, a major mountain range in northern
Hebei Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
province, near present-day
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
. During the turbulent Five Dynasties period (907-957), Liu, who was an expert in Huang-Lao philosophy, passed the
imperial examination The imperial examination was a civil service examination system in History of China#Imperial China, Imperial China administered for the purpose of selecting candidates for the Civil service#China, state bureaucracy. The concept of choosing bureau ...
with a ''
jinshi ''Jinshi'' () was the highest and final degree in the imperial examination in Imperial China. The examination was usually taken in the imperial capital in the palace, and was also called the Metropolitan Exam. Recipients are sometimes referre ...
'' degree. After briefly serving as a minister to
Liu Shouguang Liu Shouguang () (died February 16, 914) was a warlord early in the Chinese Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period who controlled Lulong (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) and Yichang (義昌, headquartered in modern Cangzhou, Hebei) Cir ...
, the self-declared emperor of the Yan state (911-914), Liu Haichan was appointed prime minister under
Abaoji Abaoji (872 – 6 September 926), posthumously known by his temple name as the Emperor Taizu of Liao, was a Khitan leader and the founding emperor of the Liao dynasty of China, ruling from 916 to 926. He had a sinicised name, Yelü Yi; some s ...
in 916, the founder of the foreign Liao dynasty or Khitan Empire (907-1125). There is a famous story about how Liu Haichan was converted to Daoism. One day, at the height of his glory, Liu met a Daoist monk who called himself Zheng Yangzi 正陽子 "Master of Correct
Yang Yang may refer to: * Yang, in yin and yang, one half of the two symbolic polarities in Chinese philosophy * Korean yang, former unit of currency of Korea from 1892 to 1902 * YANG, a data modeling language for the NETCONF network configuration p ...
"—but was actually the renowned Immortal
Zhongli Quan Zhongli Quan, courtesy name Jidao, is a Chinese mythology, Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoism, Taoist pantheon. He is also known as Han Zhongli because he was said to have been born in the Han dynasty. In leg ...
. He asked Liu to get ten eggs and ten gold cash coins (with a hole in the middle), and then placed a coin under each, and piled them one on top of another. Liu yelled "How dangerous!" and the Daoist smilingly replied, "The position of a prime minister is much more dangerous!". Liu was suddenly awakened, resigned from his position, gave up his wealth, left home, and went wandering. He changed his name to Liu Xuanying and the Daoists called him Haichan "Sea Toad". Liu lived alone and practiced self-cultivation while travelling in
Shaanxi Shaanxi is a Provinces of China, province in north Northwestern China. It borders the province-level divisions of Inner Mongolia to the north; Shanxi and Henan to the east; Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan to the south; and Gansu and Ningxia to t ...
between
Mount Hua Mount Hua () is a mountain located near the city of Huayin in Shaanxi Province, about east of Xi'an. It is the "Western Mountain" of the Five Great Mountains of China and has a long history of religious significance. Originally classified as ...
, a famous location for Daoist and Buddhist monks, and the
Zhongnan Mountains South View of Qinling from Crouching Tiger Mountain Peak The Zhongnan Mountains (), sometimes called the Taiyi Mountains () or Zhounan Mountains (), are a branch of the Qin Mountains located in Shaanxi Province, south of Xi'an, China that exten ...
, until he achieved Daoist ''xian''-hood "immortality; transcendence". As an immortal, Liu Haichan was especially revered in the 12th and 13th centuries. Quanzhen accounts said he was a friend of the Daoist adepts
Chen Tuan Chen Tuan 陳摶 (died August 25, 989) was a Chinese Taoist credited with creation of the kung fu system Liuhebafa ("Six Harmonies and Eight Methods"). Along with this internal art, he is also said to be associated with a method of qi (energy ...
(d. 989), Zhong Fang 種放 (955-1015), and Zhang Wumeng 張無夢 (fl. 985-1065). Liu was much less famous than his disciple Zhang Boduan 張伯端 (d. 1082), the author of the ''
Wuzhen pian The ''Wuzhen pian'' ( zh, c=悟真篇, p=Wùzhēn piān, w=''Wu-chen p'ien'', l=Folios on Awakening to Reality/Perfection) is a 1075 Taoist classic on Neidan-style internal alchemy. Its author Zhang Boduan ( zh, c=張伯端, labels=no; 987?–108 ...
''. Liu Haichan's teachers were two 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 ...
,
Zhongli Quan Zhongli Quan, courtesy name Jidao, is a Chinese mythology, Chinese mythological figure and one of the Eight Immortals in the Taoism, Taoist pantheon. He is also known as Han Zhongli because he was said to have been born in the Han dynasty. In leg ...
(aka Zheng Yangzi above) and
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 ...
. These three were famous for roaming the world and persuading people to search for Daoist immortality. Their encounters were favorite topics not only of hagiographic works, but also of poems and plays. Although Zhongli and Lü have enjoyed a more durable popularity, Liu plays an eminent role in a number of stories. For example, the semi-vernacular ''Ningyang Dong zhenren yuxian ji'' 凝陽董真人遇仙記 "Records of the Perfected Person Dong Ningyang's Encounters with Immortals", which tells the tale of a Jurchen soldier, Dong Shouzhi 董守志 (1160-1227), who repeatedly received visits and instructions from Liu, Lü, and Zhongli, and started a new Daoist school. Scholars are uncertain about the dates of Liu Haichan's life, and have said he lived in the 10th century, Five Dynasties Period (907-960),
floruit ''Floruit'' ( ; usually abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for 'flourished') denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indic ...
1031,. and died before or circa 1050. Holmes Welch notes the chronological problem with Liu Haichan's hagiography. If he was a disciple of Lü Dongbin (fl. c. 800), a minister to Liu Shouguang in 911-913, and the teacher of Zhang Boduan in 1070, Liu Haichan "must have lived some 270 years, a ripe old age even among Taoists". Welch concludes that a disciple could adopt a Daoist master posthumously, either through books or visions.


Writings

Although Liu Haichan's alchemical texts and poems seem to have been well-known, many became
lost works A lost work is a work that is known about, but no longer exists, or cannot be found. Types *Lost literary work, where the text is unknown * Lost artworks, of visual art, which may be known through copies *Lost media, audiovisual media such as film ...
, excepting some citations in the canonical ''
Daozang The Daozang ( zh, c=道藏, p=Dàozàng, w=Tao Tsang) is a large canon of Taoist writings, consisting of around 1,500 texts that were seen as continuing traditions first embodied by the '' Daodejing'', '' Zhuangzi'', and '' Liezi''. The canon was ...
'' and quotes in several Song and Yuan ''neidan'' works. Liu was also famous for his poetry and the calligraphic traces he left on temple walls—a way of creating new holy places that was also favored by Lü Dongbin. The official bibliography sections of the (1060) ''
New Book of Tang The ''New Book of Tang'', generally translated as the "New History of the Tang" or "New Tang History", is a work of official history covering the Tang dynasty in ten volumes and 225 chapters. The work was compiled by a team of scholars of the So ...
'' and the (1345) '' History of Song'' both ascribe the ''Huanjin pian'' 還金篇 "Chapters on Reverting Gold" to Liu Haichan, called Haichanzi Xuanying 海蟾子玄英, combining his Daoist names. Another text attributed to Liu is the ''
Huangdi Yinfujing The ''Huangdi Yinfujing'' (), or ''Yinfujing'', is a circa 8th century CE Daoist scripture associated with Chinese astrology and ''Neidan''-style Internal alchemy. In addition, ''Huangdi Yinfujing'' is also the name of a Chinese Fengshui text on ...
jijie'' 黃帝陰符經集解 "Collected Interpretations of the Yellow Emperor's Hidden Talisman Classic", which is purportedly drawn from ten different sources, many of which are clearly late fabrications. Liu's autobiographical ''Rudao ge'' 入道歌 "Song on Becoming a Taoist", which is probably a Quanzhen
apocryphon Apocryphon ("secret writing"), plural apocrypha, was a Greek term for a genre of Jewish and Early Christian writings that were meant to impart "secret teachings" or gnosis (knowledge) that could not be publicly taught. Jesus briefly withheld his m ...
, is included in his standard biography found in the ''Jinlian zhengzong ji'', and was carved on stone in several locations. A short work entitled ''Zhizhen ge'' 至真歌 "Song of Ultimate Perfection" is ascribed to Liu in the (1796-1820) Daozang jiyao 道藏輯要 "Essentials of the Daoist Canon". However, it identifies him as Haichan dijun 海蟾帝君, using the honorific title Dijun帝君 "Sovereign Lord" that Song emperor
Külüg Khan Külüg Khan (Mongolian language, Mongolian: Хүлэг; Mongolian script: ; ), born Khayishan (Mongolian: Хайсан ; , , meaning "wall"), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Wuzong of Yuan () (August 4, 1281 – January 27, 1311), ...
bestowed on him in 1310, suggesting that this edition, if not the composition itself, dates no earlier than the 14th century.


Quanzhen lineages

According to traditional Daoist legend, the Quanzhen "Complete Perfection" School was founded by
Wang Chongyang Wang Chongyang (11 January 1113 – 22 January 1170; Chinese calendar: 22nd day, 12th month, 2nd year, Zhenghe era in the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song - 4th day, 1st month, 10th year, Dading era in the reign of Emperor Shizong of Jin) was ...
(1113-1170) after he received enlightenment from the teachings of the immortals Zhongli Quan, Lü Dongbin, and Liu Haichan in 1159. After Wang's death, these four and Donghua dijun 東華帝君 "Master of Eastern Florescence" were declared the Five Patriarchs of the Quanzhen School. In the late 12th century, the Quanzhen School ''neidan'' "internal alchemy" tradition came to be divided into a Beizong 北宗 "Northern Lineage" and Nanzong 南宗 "Southern Lineage", terms first used by
Chan Buddhism Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning " meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and Song ...
. The date when the term Nanzong came into use is uncertain, and Boltz describes the lineage as ex post facto. The Northern Lineage emphasized monastic discipline, ascetic practices, and celibacy, along with some ''neidan'' practices. The primary concern of the Southern Lineage was ''neidan'', and compared to the Nanzong, it was smaller, more loosely organized, and did not require members to become monks. By the 13th century, the Five Patriarchs of the Southern Lineage were identified as Liu Haichan (fl. 1031), Zhang Boduan (d. c. 1082), Shi Tai 石泰 (d. 1158), Xue Zixian 薛紫賢 (d. 1191), and Chen Nan陳楠 (d. 1213). Liu Haichan and his teachers Zhongli Quan and Lü Dongbin are revered by both the Quanzhen and Nanzong lineages. Liu's importance, however, appears to have waned already by the
Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty ( ; zh, c=元朝, p=Yuáncháo), officially the Great Yuan (; Mongolian language, Mongolian: , , literally 'Great Yuan State'), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after Div ...
(1271-1368), and very few texts are attributed to him in later anthologies. By the early 14th century, a number of Quanzhen works asserted that Liu had conveyed the teachings of the venerable Zhongli Quan to
Wang Chongyang Wang Chongyang (11 January 1113 – 22 January 1170; Chinese calendar: 22nd day, 12th month, 2nd year, Zhenghe era in the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song - 4th day, 1st month, 10th year, Dading era in the reign of Emperor Shizong of Jin) was ...
in the north and to Zhang Boduan in the south, a claim that was no doubt extremely useful to Quanzhen textual codifiers who sought to find a common origin for their Northern and Southern Lineages.


Symbolism

In
Chinese mythology Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature throughout the area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology encompasses a diverse array of myths derived from regional and cultural tradit ...
and
yin yang Originating in Chinese philosophy, yin and yang (, ), also yinyang or yin-yang, is the concept of opposite cosmic principles or forces that interact, interconnect, and perpetuate each other. Yin and yang can be thought of as complementary an ...
theory, the three-legged toad is a Moon symbol and the
three-legged crow The three-legged (or tripedal) crow is a mythological creature in various mythologies and arts of East Asia. It is believed to inhabit and represent the Sun. Evidence of the earliest bird-Sun motif or totemic articles were excavated around 5000 ...
is a Sun symbol (compare the '' yu'' "a three-legged tortoise that causes malaria"). According to an ancient tradition, the tripedal toad is the transformed
Chang'e Chang'e ( ; ), originally known as Heng'e (), is the goddess of the Moon and wife of Hou Yi, the great archer. Renowned for her beauty, Chang'e is also known for her ascending to the Moon with her pet Yu Tu, the Moon Rabbit and living in the Mo ...
lunar deity A lunar deity or moon deity is a deity who represents the Moon, or an aspect of it. These deities can have a variety of functions and traditions depending upon the culture, but they are often related. Lunar deities and Moon worship can be foun ...
who stole the
elixir of life The elixir of life (Medieval Latin: ' ), also known as elixir of immortality, is a potion that supposedly grants the drinker Immortality, eternal life and/or eternal youth. This elixir was also said to Panacea (medicine), cure all diseases. Alch ...
from her husband
Houyi Hou Yi () is a mythological Chinese archer. He was also known as Shen Yi and simply as Yi (). He is also typically given the title of "Lord Archer". He is sometimes portrayed as a god of archery or a '' xian'' descended from heaven to aid manki ...
the archer, and fled to the Moon where she was turned into a toad.
Ge Hong Ge Hong (; b. 283 – d. 343 or 364), courtesy name Zhichuan (稚川), was a Chinese linguist, philosopher, physician, politician, and writer during the Eastern Jin dynasty. He was the author of '' Essays on Chinese Characters'', the '' Baopu ...
's (c. 320 CE) ''
Baopuzi ''Baopuzi'' () is a literary work written by Ge Hong (AD 283–343), (), a scholar during the turbulent Jin dynasty. ''Baopuzi'' is divided into two main sections, the esoteric ''Neipian'' () and the section intended for the public to unders ...
'' lists 10,000-year old ''chanchu'' toad as a magical ''rouzhi'' 肉芝 "meat/flesh excrescence" that provides the invulnerability and longevity associated with Daoist ''xian''. (''
Zhi ''Zhi'' (Wade-Giles: ''chih'') may refer to: * ''Zhì'' (智), "wisdom", a virtue in the philosophy of ''Mencius'' (book) * Zheng Zhi (郑智), a footballer * Zhi (surname) (支) * Zhi (excrescences) (芝), a term related to mushrooms and Daoi ...
''
Shiba (芝) is an area of Minato ward in Tokyo, Japan and one of districts in the Shiba area. Shiba area Shiba was a ward of Tokyo City from 1878 to 1947. It was merged with Akasaka and Azabu wards to form Minato ward on March 15, 1947. The ...
usually means "mushroom; fungus", especially the
lingzhi mushroom Lingzhi, ''Ganoderma sichuanense'', also known as reishi or ''Ganoderma lingzhi'' is a polypore fungus ("bracket fungus") native to East Asia belonging to the genus ''Ganoderma''. Its reddish brown, varnished, kidney-shaped cap with bands and p ...
, but Daoists also uses it to mean "excrescence;
numinous Numinous () means "arousing spiritual or religious emotion; mysterious or awe-inspiring";Collins English Dictionary - 7th ed. - 2005 also "supernatural" or "appealing to the aesthetic sensibility." The term was given its present sense by the Ger ...
substance".)
The ten-thousand-year-old hoptoad is said to have horns on its head, while under its chin there is a double-tiered figure 8 written in red. It must be captured at noon on the fifth day of the fifth moon and dried in the shade for a hundred days. A line drawn on the ground with its left root will become a running stream. When its left foreleg is carried on the person, it will ward off all types of weapons. If an enemy shoots at you, the bow and arrow will both turn against the archer. The thousand-year-old bat is as white as snow. When perching, it hangs head down because its brain is heavy. If both of these creatures are obtained, dried in the shade, powdered, and taken, a body can live for forty thousand years.
Another
Chinese folklore Chinese folklore encompasses the folklore of China, and includes songs, poetry, dances, puppetry, and tales. It often tells stories of human nature, historical or legendary events, love, and the supernatural. The stories often explain natural phe ...
tradition is that during the night, Liu Hai's three-legged toad produces a pearl that, when eaten, can change a person into a ''xian'' immortal or can restore a corpse to life.
Traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...
uses ''chánsū'' 蟾酥 "dried venom of toads; toad-cake;
bufotoxin Bufotoxins are a family of toxic steroid lactones or substituted Substituted tryptamine, tryptamines of which some are toxic. They occur in the parotoid glands, skin, and poison of many toads (True toad, Bufonidae family) and other amphibians, an ...
" as an anesthetic and heart tonic. Since ingesting bufotoxin can produce
hallucinogenic Hallucinogens, also known as psychedelics, entheogens, or historically as psychotomimetics, are a large and diverse class of psychoactive drugs that can produce altered states of consciousness characterized by major alterations in thought, moo ...
effects, there is a
psychoactive toad The Colorado River toad (''Incilius alvarius''), also known as the Sonoran Desert toad, is a toad species found in northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It is well known for its ability to exude toxins from glands within its sk ...
hypothesis to explain the relationship between Liu Haichan and his toad.
Joseph Needham Noel Joseph Terence Montgomery Needham (; 9 December 1900 – 24 March 1995) was a British biochemist, historian of science and sinologist known for his scientific research and writing on the history of Chinese science and technology, initia ...
and
Lu Gwei-djen Lu Gwei-djen (; July 22, 1904 – November 28, 1991) was a Chinese biochemist and historian. She was an expert on the history of science and technology in China and a researcher of nutriology. She was an important researcher and co-author of t ...
say the three-legged toad and drug-pounding
Moon rabbit The Moon rabbit, Moon hare or Jade rabbit is a mythical figure in both East Asian and indigenous American folklore, based on interpretations that identify the lunar mare, dark markings on the near side of the Moon as a rabbit or hare. In East A ...
both symbolize the Moon and therefore of the Yin force, which was vital for making ''
waidan , translated as 'external alchemy' or 'external elixir', is the early branch of Chinese alchemy that focuses upon compounding elixirs of immortality by heating minerals, metals, and other natural substances in a luted crucible. The later bran ...
'' alchemical elixirs. Some ancient Daoists valued toad flesh "as an aid to prolongevity and immortality", and which could cause a person to escape invisibly from captivity. The original identity of the Daoist master Liu Haichan as a teacher of esoteric ''neidan'' techniques greatly differs from his contemporary persona as a god of wealth and business success. reproduces a
Dragon Boat Festival The Dragon Boat Festival ( zh, s=端午节, t=端午節, first=t, p=Duānwǔ jié, cy=Dyūnńgh jit) is a traditional Chinese holiday that occurs on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, which corresponds to late May or earl ...
talisman of Liu Hai and his toad that was believed to provide a family good luck and protection. Liu Haichan is traditionally represented as a child with a string or sash of coins and a three-legged toad (symbols of good fortune), two attributes "probably borrowed" from the immortals
Lan Caihe Lan Caihe ( zh, c=藍采和, p=Lán Cǎihé, w=Lan Ts'ai-ho)"Lan Caihe." ''Encyclopedia Britannica.'' https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lan-CaiheDorothy Perkins. ''Encyclopedia of China: History and Culture.'' Page 140. is a Chinese mythologica ...
and Helan Qizhen 賀蘭棲真, both of whom were irregulars in the Eight Immortals. First, Lan Caihe was known for dragging a string of coins casually on the ground when begging in streets, symbolically showing an utter contempt for money. Once the string of coins changed hands, it created a new iconography for Liu's enlightenment by Zhongli Quan stacking up eggs and coins to represent the precariousness of human existence. Second, the
Northern Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, endin ...
Daoist master Helan Qizhen 賀蘭棲真 (d. 1010) supposedly achieved immortality by devouring a three-legged golden toad. The Yuan dynasty author Luo Tianxiang 駱天驤 wrote,Tr. . "In White Deer Abbey on Mount Li, there is a Toad Well, in which there was a three-legged toad of golden color. 'This is a meat fungus,' .e., ''rouzhi'' 肉芝 aboveexclaimed Master He-lan when he saw it. He cooked and ate it, whereupon he flew up to the sky in broad daylight." Anning Jing suggests this story about Helan Qizhen eating a toad might have been a literal interpretation of a Daoist ''neidan'' in which "golden toad" represents the ''zhēnjīng'' 真精 "true essence"; which is mentioned in a poem by the Southern Song
scholar-official The scholar-officials, also known as literati, scholar-gentlemen or scholar-bureaucrats (), were government officials and prestigious scholars in Chinese society, forming a distinct social class. Scholar-officials were politicians and governmen ...
Li Shih 李石 (1108-1181): "I have heard that the delicacy of old toad is a drug / That can turn even grass into golden bud; / But would it be better to close ymouth and nourish internally / To replace your oad'sugly substance and nurture y internalbud. / Riding you, I shall fly to the palace in the moon / And descend to see the mulberry sea that reaches the clouds beyond the sky." There are two versions of the Chinese folktale called ''Liúhǎi xì īnhán'' 劉海戲 ���� "Liu Hai plays with the
olden Olden may refer to: Places *Olden, Norway, a village in Stryn, Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway *Olden, Missouri, an unincorporated community *Olden, Texas, a community in Eastland county, Texas, USA People *Andrew Olden, birth name of actor Andr ...
toad"
iu Haiemployed is toadas a charger to carry him instantaneously from place to place. The creature was not entirely reconciled to this mode of life, and occasionally escaped by diving down the nearest well. Its passion for the gleam of gold, however, invariably led to its recapture, when its master dangled a string of cash before its eyes. He is popularly represented with one foot on the toad's head, holding in his hand a ribbon, or fillet, on which are strung five golden coins. The design is known as "Liu Hai sporting with the toad" (劉海戲蟾), and is regarded as highly auspicious and conducive to good fortune. Another version of the story, inconsistent with the last or the Moon theory, is that the reptile lived in a deep pool and exuded a vapour poisonous to the neighborhood, and that it was thus hooked and destroyed by Liu Hai, exemplifying the fatal attraction of money to lure men to their ruin.
Liu sometimes figures as a
door god ''Menshen'', or door gods, are divine guardians of doors and gates in Chinese folk religions, used to protect against evil influences or to encourage the entrance of positive ones. They began as the divine pair Shenshu () and Yulü () under ...
at Chinese temples, in partnership with the Tianguan Dadi. Lastly, Liu Hai is the Chinese
patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
of needle makers.


See also

* Money tree (myth)


References

* * * * * * Footnotes


Further reading

* Lo, Vivienne (2009)
Huangdi Hama jing (Yellow Emperor’s Toad Canon)
('' Huangdi hama jing'')


External links

*
Liu Haichan and Li Tiegui
Liu depicted with a white toad and peach of immortality, (c. 14th century) scroll painted by
Yan Hui Yan Hui (–481 BC) was a Chinese philosopher. He was the favorite disciple of Confucius and one of the most revered figures of Confucianism. He is venerated in Confucian temples as one of the Four Sages. Names Yan Hui is also known by his c ...
,
Chion-in in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan is the headquarters of the Jōdo-shū (Pure Land Sect) founded by Hōnen (1133–1212), who proclaimed that sentient beings are reborn in Amida Buddha's Western Paradise (Pure Land) by reciting the ''nembutsu'' ...

The Daoist Immortal Liu Haichan (Xiama)
(early 19th century) scroll by Kano Isen'in Naganobu,
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...

Liu Hanchan
(1822) painting by
Tani Bunchō was a Japanese literati (''bunjin'') painter and poet. Biography He was the son of the poet Tani Rokkoku (1729–1809). As his family were retainers of the Tayasu Family of descendants of the eighth Tokugawa ''shōgun'', Bunchō inherited ...
,
Indianapolis Museum of Art The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) is an encyclopedic art museum located at Newfields, a campus that also houses Lilly House, The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, the Garden at Newfields and more. It is located at the corner of No ...

Liu Haichan
scroll attributed to
Wu Wei ''Wu wei'' () is a polysemous, ancient Chinese concept expressing an ideal dao, practice of "inaction", "inexertion" or "effortless action", as a state of personal harmony and free-flowing, spontaneous Improvisation, creative manifestation. In a ...
(1459-1508),
National Palace Museum The National Palace Museum, also known as Taipei Palace Museum, is a national museum headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in Beijing in 1925, the museum was re-established in Shilin District, Shilin, Taipei, in 1965, later expanded with a S ...

Liu Haichan
FYSK Daoist Culture Centre Database
Liu Haichan and the Three Legged Wealth Toad
Wayne Ferrebee File:Shang Xi-Four Immortals Salute Longevity.jpg, Four Transcendents waving to the Longevity God, (left to right) Shide,
Hanshan Hanshan may refer to: * Hanshan (poet) (寒山), a figure associated with a collection of poems from the Tang dynasty *Hanshan Deqing (憨山德清), a Buddhist monk from the Chinese Ming dynasty *''Mountain Cry'' (), 2015 Chinese film PR China * ...
,
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 Liu Haichan on a toad, (c. 15th century) scroll by Shang Xi,
National Palace Museum The National Palace Museum, also known as Taipei Palace Museum, is a national museum headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Founded in Beijing in 1925, the museum was re-established in Shilin District, Shilin, Taipei, in 1965, later expanded with a S ...
File:蝦蟇・鉄拐仙人図 曾我蕭白.jpg, Soga Shōhaku (c. 1770)
ink wash painting Ink wash painting ( zh, t=水墨畫, s=水墨画, p=shuǐmòhuà) is a type of Chinese ink brush painting which uses Wash (visual arts), washes of black ink, such as that used in East Asian calligraphy, in different concentrations. It emerged duri ...
of
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 Liu Haichan (right) File:Kyosai Gama-Sennin.jpg, Liu Haichan with small and large toads, (c. 1876) painting by
Kawanabe Kyōsai was a Japanese painter and caricaturist. In the words of art historian Timothy Clark, "an individualist and an independent, perhaps the last virtuoso in traditional Japanese painting". Biography Living through the Edo period to the Meiji pe ...
File:LiuHaichan.jpg, Woodblock print showing Liu Haichan (right) playing with a wealth-giving toad File:Moneyfrog.jpg, A money-frog resin sculpture
{{Taoism footer Fortune gods Taoist immortals