Elder Zhang Guo

The most eccentric of the Eight Immortals is Zhang Guo Lao – known as Elder Zhang Guo. Zhang Guo Lao was a master in the arts of alchemy and qigong, had penetrated the secrets of longevity, and was famous for his herbal infusions, which had potent healing effects.

Elder Zhang Guo wandered about (sometimes upwards of 1,000 miles per day) on a white donkey which – when he wasn’t riding – he shrunk to the thinness of paper, folded up and stored in his cap-box. When he was ready to ride again, he anointed the shrunken donkey with his saliva, in order to “reconstitute” it back to its normal size ... read more