The Eight Immortals
Taoism venerates eight immortals who, through piety and virtue, have attained eternal life. Apart from their immortality, these eight figures have nothing in common with one another, yet they are customarily depicted as a group nonetheless.
The Eight Immortals dwell with the gods in the Kun Lun mountains, at the center of the earth. There they amuse themselves in the gardens of the Jade Emperor, the supreme lord of the heavens, where the magical peach tree of immortality grows. Every millennium they are invited, together with the gods, to eat peaches at a great celebration held by Empress Wang, wife of the Jade Emperor.
Hsien means “immortal” in Chinese. The Chinese character for Hsien is juxtaposed with the characters for “man” and “mountain,” which would literally mean “a man who lives in the mountain.”
The Eight Immortals are the most famous of the Hsien. It is worth noting that immortality does not mean a long life on earth but rather eternal life in the heavens.