Background & setting
The familiar Eight Immortals took shape through religious, theatrical and literary traditions. The sea-crossing story is associated with the later novel Journey to the East and became a popular decorative subject. It celebrates a recognizable group rather than all Daoist immortals.
The story
Reaching a rough sea, the immortals choose to cross using their own powers and objects. Each finds a distinct means of passage. A staff, fan, basket or another familiar attribute can become the support for an extraordinary journey; the exact assignments differ between tellings.
The group commonly comprises Tieguai Li, Zhongli Quan, Lü Dongbin, Zhang Guolao, Han Xiangzi, He Xiangu, Lan Caihe and Cao Guojiu. Their different appearances and attributes make them easy to recognize together. The saying about each displaying a special ability carries the tale into everyday language.
How to read it
A shared challenge can call for different skills. The group’s variety is the point of the crossing.
Where this telling comes from
The Palace Museum’s entry explains the crossing and its later cultural use; Daoist art provides wider context.
- Palace Museum: the Eight Immortals cross the sea ↗
The crossing tale and its literary and decorative afterlives; the objects differ between versions.
- The Met: Daoism and Daoist Art ↗
Context for Daoist traditions, immortality and the Eight Immortals in art.
An original introductory retelling · Sources consulted October 10, 2026.