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The Eight Immortals - The Great Auspiciousness

In Taoist religious, the Eight Immortals or Pa Hsien is one of the most popular subjects of Eastern representation. For most Chinese people, the theme of Eight Immortals represents eight factors in their daily life: men and women, the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the noble and the lowly. Also the number, Chinese believe that eight is lucky number, eight was originally deemed auspicious by the Cantonese, since in Cantonese eight reads as 'Fa' or 'Pa', which means grace and make a great fortune in the near future.

1. Li Tie-Guai (Li Tieh-Kuai) of the Iron Cruth. He is depicted as a lame beggar carrying a double gourd. Legend explains his lame state as his spirit would frequently leave his body to wander the land and the heaven. One day, his body was found and thought to be dead. It was burned traditionally. When he returned from his journey to find his body gone, he entered the first body he found? that belongs to a lame beggar.
2. Zhong-Li Quan (Chung-Li Chuan), a smiling old man always beams with joy, he was rewarded with immortality for his ascetic life in the mountains. This is the familiar Fat Man with his bare belly showing. He always carries a fan and sometimes a peach. He has appeared on earth at various times as the messenger of Heaven.
3. Zuang Guolao (Chang Kuo-Lao), an aged hermit with miraculous abilities. He owned a donkey which could travel at incredible speed. The personification of the primordial vapor which is the source of all life.
4. Cao Guo-Jui (Ts'Ao Kuo-Chiu) the finest dressed of the eight immortals, he is always shown wearing formal court dress and carrying castanets or a jade tablet of admission to court; patron deity of actors.
5. Lu Dong-Bin (Lu Tung-Pin), a hero of early Chinese literature. Renouncing riches in the world, he punished the wicked, rewarded the good and slew dragon or demons with a magic sword upon his back. In his hand he carries a fly brush. He is said to have traveled the earth for over 400 years for slaying dragons.
6. He Xian-Gu (Ho Hsien-Ku) female Immortal, He Xian-Gu carries a magical lotus flower, the flower of open-heartedness or peace. She is represented as an extremely beautiful maiden, and is remarkable as occupying so prominent a position in a cult in which no system of female asceticism is developed.
7. Lan Cai-He (Lan Ts'ai-Ho), the strolling singer, either a woman or a young boy, shown with a flower-basket; patron deity of florist.
8. Han Sizng-Zi (Han Hsiang-Tsu), a scholar who choose studying magic rather than preparing for the civil service. This is the happy Immortal that is always seen playing a flute. It is said that Han could make flowers bloom with just his will, and soothe wild animals with his music

In addition, the things the Eight Immortals always held in their hands -- castanets, fan, stick, sword, calabash, duster and flower basket -- were popularly found and used by ordinary people in later period. It shows that the Eight Immortals are very close to the daily life of Taoist believers as well as to ordinary Chinese people.