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Lan Caihe

Lan Caihe was born in the late Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 A.D.), and appears to have been a real historical figure. All the stories about him agree that he used to be fond drinking, although Lan Caihe has been represented as both male and female.

Lan Caihe would sing to beg for money or food, beating out a rhythm with his feet and a pair of clappers. He was at times a hermit, wearing a warm cotton-padded jacket in summer, and sleeping on the snow during the winter. When he lay on snow, his breath was as hot as steam, and that those who had seen him in childhood said he looked no older when they saw him again as adults.

It is said that he was shown the way of Taoism by Han Zhongli, another of the Eight Taoist Immortals. Lan Caihe met him while he was drinking in a wine shop, and followed him to a bridge spanning a roaring river. Han Zhongli was disguised as an old man, and asked Lan Caihe to throw himself into the river. Following this initiation, he became a student of Han Zhongli’s until he achieved immortality.