He Xiangu

He Xiangu is the only woman among the Eight Immortals. Legend holds she was the daughter of He Tai of Zengcheng, Guangzhou, during the Tang Dynasty. At her birth, purple clouds enveloped her chamber; after consuming powdered mica, her body grew so light she could fly like a swallow and traverse hundreds of li in a single day. She gathered medicinal herbs to heal the people and foretold others’ fortunes and misfortunes with unerring precision. It is said she met an immortal by the Yunmu Stream who bestowed upon her a divine peach, after which she no longer felt hunger or thirst and gained omniscient insight into worldly affairs. Lü Dongbin imparted to her essential cultivation techniques, and Empress Wu Zetian once dispatched imperial envoys to summon her—but He Xiangu vanished mysteriously en route. During the Eight Immortals’ Crossing the Sea, she cast her lotus blossom onto the water, where it transformed into a boat, her countenance radiant and solemn. The He Xiangu Ancestral Temple in Zengcheng has maintained uninterrupted incense offerings for over a millennium; its ancient peach tree is traditionally believed to have been planted by her own hand. In popular belief, women pray to He Xiangu for harmonious marriages, successful conception, and reliable divination—revering her as a compassionate, tender-hearted immortal deeply attuned to human concerns.