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Eight Immortals
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==In art== [[file:Chinese - The Eight Immortals - Walters 3535.jpg|thumb|200px|left|''The Eight Immortals'' ([[Walters Art Museum]])]] While cults dedicated to various Taoist immortals date back to the [[Han dynasty]], the popular and well-known Eight Immortals first appeared in the [[Jin Dynasty, 1115–1234|Jin dynasty]]. The wall murals and sculptures in the Jin tombs, created during the 12th and 13th centuries, depict a group of eight Taoist immortals. The term "Eight Immortals" became commonplace after the popularization of the Taoist group of writers and artists known as the Complete Realization (Quanshen). The most famous art depiction of the Eight Immortals from this period is a mural of them in the Eternal Joy Temple (Yongle Gong) at Ruicheng. The Eight Immortals are considered to be signs of prosperity and longevity, so they are popular themes in ancient and medieval art. They were frequent adornments on [[celadon]] vases. They were also common in sculptures owned by the nobility. Many silk paintings, wall murals, and wood block prints remain of the Eight Immortals. They were often depicted either together in one group, or alone to give more homage to that specific immortal. An interesting feature of early Eight Immortal artwork is that they are often accompanied by jade hand maidens, which are commonly depicted as servants of the higher ranked deities, and depictions commonly include other images showing their great spiritual power. During the [[Ming dynasty|Ming]] and [[Qing dynasties]], the Eight Immortals were frequently associated with other prominent spiritual deities in artwork. There are numerous paintings with them and the [[Fu Lu Shou|Three Stars]] (the gods of longevity, prosperity, and good fortune) together. Also, other deities such as the [[Queen Mother of the West]] are commonly seen in the company of the Eight Immortals and she is also popularly thought to have blessed them with their [[supernatural]] abilities.<ref name=":17">{{Cite book |last=Stark |first=Rodney |title=Discovering God: The Origins of the Great Religions and the Evolution of Belief |publisher=[[HarperOne]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-06-117389-9 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=409 |author-link=Rodney Stark}}</ref> Artwork inspired by and about the Eight Immortals is not limited to paintings or other visual arts. They are quite prominent in written works as well. Authors and playwrights have written numerous stories and plays on the Eight Immortals. One famous story that has been rewritten many times and turned into several plays (the most famous written by Mu Zhiyuan in the Yuan Dynasty) is [[Lü Dongbin#Yellow Millet Dream|The Yellow-Millet Dream]], which is the story of how Lǚ Dòngbīn met Zhongli Quan and began his path to immortality.<ref>{{cite book |first=Stephen |last=Little |title=Taoism and the Arts of China |pages=313, 319–334 |publisher=The Art Institute of Chicago |year=2000 |isbn=978-0520227842}}</ref>
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