Chinese Artist, Immortal He Xiangu, 19th Century, Oil on Canvas, Framed

Chinese painting representing He Xiangu reproduced three times but with a different attribute: at the top a lotus flower, at the bottom left a fly hunt and at the bottom right again the lotus flower. She is, each time, surrounded by disciples: one praying on the right, another, on the left, seems to bring her a bowl.
Pigments on linen or hemp,
19th century.

He Xiangu or Ho Hsien-ku, "Immortal Maiden He", is an immortal Taoist, member of the Eight Immortals group. She is depicted holding a lotus symbolizing spiritual fulfillment, and sometimes also a sheng, a peach of immortality, a wooden ladle or a scroll, accessory of the religious. She is sometimes presented as a disciple of Lü Dongbin, and Ming theatrical or literary works have imagined a romantic plot between them. The tradition wants that a woman of the Tang dynasty who dedicated herself to celibacy dedicates herself to the Dao. She would have lived under the reigns of Wu Zetian and Zhongzong . Wu Zetian would have asked to meet her, which she would have accepted or not according to the versions. A book "Song" makes her a contemporary of the general Di Qing (1008-1057) to whom she predicted a victory.