He Xian-Gu 何仙姑
He Xian-Gu is usually depicted holding a lotus among the Eight Immortals. This immortal maiden has a story of her own as well, though even the legends disagree about her birthplace. One of them tells of a strange medicine that helped her gain extraordinary lightness, and of the empress's envoys, who never managed to bring her to court.
The name He Xian-Gu (何仙姑) means "the immortal maiden of the He clan." By some traditions she was born in Zengcheng in Guangdong, by others in the vicinity of Yongzhou in Hunan. The tales of how she attained immortality differ as well. In one of the best-known versions, a master instructs the girl in a dream to eat powdered mica. After this He becomes so light that she walks through the mountains with ease. Wu Ze-Tian hears of her and orders her brought to the palace, but on the way the girl vanishes.
In another legend it is the Song general Di Qing who converses with He. He wants to know how a military campaign will end. These legends are told in different regions, and several centuries separate the time of Wu Ze-Tian from the meeting with Di Qing. The familiar image of He Xian-Gu took shape in the tales of the Eight Immortals. In the composition we know today they appear as early as the Ming dynasty's Journey to the East. Among the eight, He is usually recognized by the lotus. Images with a peach or a sheng mouth organ are also found.
Films about He Xian-Gu were already being made in the 1950s. In the Hong Kong opera film The Immortal Ho Sin Ku's Six Crossings (1957) she was played by Ng Kwun-Lai. In the mainland series He Xian Gu (1992) the title role was performed by Mu Yu-Hua. In the Singaporean Legends of the Eight Immortals (1998), with Jacelyn Tay, He Xian-Gu appears together with the other immortals.
