Eight Immortals of Wu Yi or Ba Xian. (Chinese: 八仙, Ba xian)

Every nation has its own heroes. Sometimes these heroes are combined into groups: three heroes, seven dwarves, and so on. The Chinese love the number "eight", so it is not surprising that they combined their mythological characters into a "magic eight". Ba-xian - the eight saints of the Taoist pantheon - the constituent hieroglyphs: (Chinese 八仙, Ba xian) - ba - "eight", xian - consists of two - "man" and "mountain"

All these personalities really lived in China in ancient times, but most likely, they did not even know about each other, but popular rumor connected them with very close relations. There are a great many legends about the travels and adventures of this company. In China, there is even a small town called Penglai, where, according to legend, all eight immortals gathered to cross the sea on their way to a feast with the Queen of the West, Xi Wang Mu.

These immortals were: Zhong Li Quan, Li Tie Guai, Zhang Guo Lao, Lan Cai He, Lü Dong Bin, He Xian Gu, Han Xiang Zi. They all had outstanding abilities - some could fly in the sky, some could heal the sick, and some could perform real miracles. Among them were scientists, doctors, musicians, and just travelers. Here is a brief description of the eight immortals

Zhongliquan. The leader of the Eight Immortals lived during the Zhou Dynasty. He possessed the secret of making the elixir of life and the powder of reincarnation. He is usually depicted as a fat man with his belly exposed. Sometimes he holds a peach in one hand and a fan in the other, which he uses to revive the souls of the dead.

Li Te-guai. He is usually depicted as a lame beggar leaning on an iron crutch. In his hand he holds a gourd, which contains a potion with a mysterious power - with its help, you can separate the soul from the body. Li Te-guai is considered the patron of magicians, wizards, sorcerers.

Of all the eight immortals, Zhang Guo Lao was the oldest in years and the most sensible. For this reason, he was nicknamed lao - "old", "venerable", "respected". He lived as a hermit in the mountains and wandered all his life. Zhang Guo-lao always rode a donkey backwards, traveling several tens of thousands of li a day. When the immortal stopped somewhere, he folded the donkey, as if it were cut out of paper, and put it in a bamboo vessel. And when it was time to go further, he splashed water from his mouth on the folded figure, and the donkey came to life again.

Zhang Guolao was the patron of marital happiness and the birth of children. A popular illustration shows him sitting on a donkey and presenting a baby to a newly married couple. Zhang Guolao is also considered the patron of fine arts. He is often depicted with a bamboo brush holder.

Lan Cai He was a drunkard. One day, while sitting in a tavern and entertaining those present, he suddenly heard heavenly singing. At that very moment, he silently rose into the sky - a cloud picked him up. Lan Cai He threw down his boot, robe, belt. The cloud soared upward, becoming smaller and smaller, and since then no one on earth has heard of Lan Cai He. This immortal is considered the patron of musicians and is depicted with a flute in his hands.

Lü Dong Bin. From childhood, he was precocious and could memorize ten thousand words daily; without any preparation, he mastered literary speech. Having passed all the tests with honor, Lü Dong Bin mastered the art of magic and received a sword of "miraculous power" (he is often depicted with a sword on his back). For four hundred years, he wandered the earth with this sword, protecting people, killing dragons and tigers.

He Xian Gu. The only woman among the eight. In her early childhood, she met Lu Dongbin, who, foreseeing the girl's future, gave her a peach of immortality. She ate only half of it and from then on almost did not need earthly food. In the drawings, He Xian Gu is depicted as an unusually beautiful girl with a lotus flower in one hand, and in the other she holds a wide wicker basket, sometimes filled with flowers. He Xian Gu patronized the household and predicted people's fate.

Han Xiang Zi was the nephew of the famous Han Yu, a scholar and minister who lived during the Tang Dynasty. While looking for a teacher, he accidentally met the wise Lu Yan. Listening to his instructions, he quickly learned the teachings of the Tao. One day, they came to a country where "spirit peaches" grew in abundance. Han Xiang Zi wanted to pick some fruits and climbed a tree to do so. Suddenly, the branch broke under him, he fell to the ground and died. But at that very moment, he ascended to heaven - already as an immortal, without suffering or pain. Han Xiang Zi is often depicted with a basket of flowers or fruits in his hands and is considered the patron saint of gardeners.

Cao Guo Jiu was the younger brother of Cao Taihou, the mother of Emperor Song Shenzong, who lived during the Song Dynasty. From his youth, he preferred solitude, and all the delights of court life were alien to him. One day, no longer willing to put up with the oppression of ordinary people by his family, he decided to go to the mountains to comprehend the Taoist teachings aimed at the purity of existence and the naturalness of life.
Cao Guo Jiu is depicted holding large castanets and is considered the patron saint of actors.

So what do all these wizards have to do with tea? Since ancient times, Taoists have been looking for a potion of immortality that would allow a person to live forever. They conducted many experiments, studied the properties of different plants and herbs. Tea was rightfully considered a means of clarifying the mind, cleansing the body and creating a special mood. Tea has the ability to absorb the energy of its surroundings, which is why monastery teas, which are collected in the mountains, far from the hustle and bustle, are so valued. So tea, collected among green cliffs, clean mountain streams, can convey to a person the clarity and purity of nature and the mood of the place where it was collected.

Wu Yi Ba Xian tea is collected in a mountainous region where such famous teas as Da Hong Pao or Wu Yi Shui Xian are also made. The top large leaves are used for it, which are twisted lengthwise during the production process. The production process is approximately the same for all highly fermented oolongs - after collection, the leaves are slightly withered, then processed and subjected to the "killing of greenery" procedure. The prepared leaf is twisted in special drums, and then roasted over smoky fireplaces in lattice baskets. Therefore, the dry tea leaf is very dark, almost black, from 3 to 5-6 cm long. The smell of the dry leaf is warm, with a fruity tint.

To prepare tea, you need to take just boiled water, not lower than 90 degrees. You can take quite a lot of tea, up to half a teapot, although this, of course, depends on the quality of the tea and personal preferences. The first time you can just wash the leaf, and the second brewing will already give you a golden tea infusion with the aroma of a sun-warmed meadow, with a slight hint of ginger. With each subsequent brewing, the color becomes more saturated, changes to amber-reddish, its smell envelops everything around. This tea warms well, evens out the state, gives a feeling of relaxation. After the eighth brewing, you can feel how all eight immortals have already come to you to teach you the Tao, or maybe you will understand that the Tao has already come to you ...