Zhongli Quan
Zhongli Quan (鐘離權 or 鐘离權 in pinyin: Zhōnglí Quán), or Chung-li Ch'üan in Wade-Giles, is one of the most ancient of the Eight Immortals (the oldest is Iron-crutch Li) and the leader of the group. (Some people consider Lü Dongbin to be an informal leader.) He is also known as Zhongli of Han (漢鐘離) because he was born in the Han Dynasty. He possesses a fan which has the magical ability of reviving the dead.
Member of the Eight Immortals
Zhongli Quan is one of the illustrious Eight Immortals (Ba Xian), a group of Daoist/folk deities who play an important role in Chinese religion and culture. While they are famed for espousing and teaching Daoist philosophy and cultivation practices, they are also figures of popular myth and legend that are known for their devotion to the downtrodden and their collective lifestyle of “free and easy wandering.” Though they are most often depicted and described in the context of their group, each has their own particular set of tales, iconography, and areas of patronage. Each of these three elements will be elaborated on below.
Remainder
From Yantai (燕台 yan4 tai2), Zhongli Quan was a general serving the Han Dynasty. According to legend, bright beams of light filled the labour room during his birth. After birth he did not stop crying until seven full days had passed.
In Daoism, he is known as 正陽祖師 (Zhèng Yáng Zú Shī), literally the True-Yang First-Master. He is Master Cloud-chamber (雲房先生 Yún Fáng Xiān Shēng) in accounts describing his encounter with Lü Dongbin before achieving immortality.
He has a very rare double-character surname, Zhongli.
Depiction
Depicted with his chest and belly bare and holding a fan.
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