Lü Dongbin

Lü Dongbin’s secular name was Lü Yan; his Daoist honorific title was Chunyangzi. Legend holds he was a native of Hedong during the Tang dynasty. After failing the imperial civil service examinations twice, he encountered Zhongli Quan—the immortal who would become his master—in a wine shop in Chang’an, where he received instruction in the Golden Elixir Daoist path. Thereupon he renounced worldly life to cultivate the Dao, becoming one of the Northern Five Patriarchs of the Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Daoist tradition and the most renowned of the Eight Immortals. Countless folk tales celebrate him—such as 'Three Drunken Visits to Yueyang Tower', 'The Dream of the Yellow Millet', and the popular urban legend 'Lü Dongbin’s Three Teases of the White Peony'. Carrying his enchanted sword, he roamed the four seas vowing to liberate all sentient beings, and stories abound of his miraculous appearances and compassionate interventions in taverns and marketplaces. The Yongle Palace, built during the Yuan dynasty to honour him, houses murals universally acclaimed as masterpieces of Chinese religious art. His birthday on the 14th day of the 4th lunar month is widely observed, and temples dedicated to Patriarch Lü draw immense throngs of devotees across China.