Immortality
Immortality articles and guides
The Eight Immortals: Complete Guide to China's Most Beloved Gods
A beggar, a woman, a cripple, and five others — the diverse group of immortals who prove anyone can achieve divinity.
The Quest for the Elixir of Life: From Emperor Qin to Modern Fiction
The 2,200-year obsession with immortality that drove emperors mad, killed alchemists, and inspired a genre of fiction.
The Quest for Immortality: Why Chinese Mythology Is Obsessed With Living Forever
Peaches of immortality, elixirs of life, cultivation to godhood — no other mythology spends as much time on the question of how to not die. The obsession reveals something deep about Chinese culture.
Types of Immortals (仙): A Classification Guide
Earthbound immortals, heavenly immortals, and ghost immortals — not all immortals are created equal in Chinese mythology.
The Peaches of Immortality: Xi Wangmu Garden
They ripen once every six thousand years. One bite grants eternal life. And the last person who ate them all was a monkey with impulse control issues.