Chinese Mythology

The Folk Gods and Spirits of the Middle Kingdom

EIGHT GENTLEMEN

Chinese Knowledge legendary men

Also known as Bagong, Eight Immortals Of Huainan, Huai-Nan Pa-Hsüan, Huai-Nan-Tzu, Huainan Baxian, Huainanzi, Pa-Gong

Eight immortals who weren't immortal

Have you heard of the Eight Immortals? If not, check them out. Meanwhile, these fine gentlemen, known as the Eight Immortals of Huainan, were a completely different team of would-be immortals.

In fact they were a group of scholars, philosophers and smart cookies brought together by Liu An, the Prince of Huainan.

He was a smart cookie himself, with many well-known philosophical writings to his name, but despite all his efforts he had not managed to crack the secret of immortality.

The Eight Gentlemen were very willing to help, but the secret of immortality seem to have eluded them. If only they had asked their rivals the Eight Immortals.

According to legend, Liu An himself might have managed to ascend to the infinite, but his colleagues were stuck firmly and irrevocably in their mortal bodies. The only immortality they found was through their writing — their famous philosophical work Huai-Nan-Tzu remains in print to this day.

Eight Gentlemen Facts and Figures

Name: Eight Gentlemen
Pronunciation: Coming soon
Alternative names: Bagong, Eight Immortals Of Huainan, Huai-Nan Pa-Hsüan, Huai-Nan-Tzu, Huainan Baxian, Huainanzi, Pa-Gong

Gender: Male
Type: legendary men
Celebration or Feast Day: Unknown at present

Role:
In charge of: Knowledge
Area of expertise: Knowledge

Good/Evil Rating: NEUTRAL, may not care
Popularity index: 4724

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Article last revised on May 16, 2019 by Rowan Allen.
Editors: Peter J. Allen, Chas Saunders

References: Coming soon.

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