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As the centuries sifted by, flowers, insects, a menagerie of animals and birds, were worked into jade. The butterfly, symbol of immortality, the bat, symbol of happiness and long life, and the three-legged toad, symbol of the unattainable, are typical. The peach was a symbol of longevity, the pomegranate a symbol of fertility, the lotus a symbol of purity, and even the lowly fungus—perhaps Pachyma cocos— was another symbol of longevity. Many others appeared at intervals to support and perpetuate a vast body of mixed legend, lore, history, and religion—except that, unbelievably, none of them was a human figure.
It was more than sixteen centuries after the birth of Christ that Taoists began interpreting their abstract gods as carved human figures. Probably the first of these represented Lao-tzu, the founder of Chinese Taoism. The stimulus for this change came from Buddhism, first introduced into China from India about A.D. 67. It took almost two hundred years for the new religion to root itself, but eventually it was grafted so well to Taoism that it flourished, was totally blended into the old religion, and became uniquely Chinese in the process. Best known of the Taoist figures are the Eight Immortals, who became so popular as carving subjects during the Ming and Ch’ing Dynasties. The Eight Immortals are:
Chung-li Ch’uan, leader of the Eight Immortals who dwelt on the Mountain of Jade and became immortal through being perfectly attuned with nature. He is carved as a fat, half-naked little man with a beard, carrying a fan and a peach, or fungus, symbol of immortality.
Lu Tung-pin is carved as an older man in scholar’s costume. He carries a magic sword and is revered as the protector of magicians and a doer of magical deeds.
Chang Kuo-lao, a famous magician, is often carved riding a donkey—sometimes backward—but always carrying the Yu Ku, a kind of tubular drum.
Ts’ao Kuo-chiu is the most recent of the Immortals. Usually portrayed wearing a beard, he is often dressed in beautiful robes, with a hat or cap, and is never seen without a pair of clapper-like castanets in his hand.
Han Hsiang-tzu is obviously a musician and is always seen playing his magic flute.
Ho Hsien-ku is the only true woman among the Immortals. She is credited with eating her way into the select group by consuming one of the magic peaches of immortality. A lotus flower with stem is her emblem.