Cao Guo Jiu – or Royal Uncle Cao – was the son of a military commander, and brother of the Empress Cao Hou of the Song Dynasty. (“Guojiu” was a semi-official title given for brothers of the empress.) Immortal Cao Guo Jiu is portrayed wearing official’s court dress, and holding castanets along with an imperial jade tablet that indicates his rank, gives him access to palace audiences, and also has the power to purify the environment. He is the patron of the theatre/actors. Cao Guo Jiu, it is said, had a fierce demeanor – making him one of the less popular of the Immortals – though lived an exemplary life.
The story of how Cao Guo Jiu became an Immortal is as follows. He had a younger brother who was infamous for his evil ways, and who eventually became a murderer. Out of shame and disgust, Cao Guo Jiu decided to forsake his wealth and position, and retreat to the mountains, to live the life of a hermit and study Taoism. One day he was visited in his mountain hide-way by Immortals Lu Dongbin and Zhongli Quan, who taught him the techniques for attaining perfection. Within a couple of days after receiving these instructions, Cao Guo Jiu himself became an Immortal.
