Han Zhongli, one of the
Eight Immortals in
Taoism, whose magic weapon is a plantain fan. Zhongli Quan was originally named "Zhongli Quan", with "Zhongli" being a common compound surname in ancient times.
According to
The Complete Biography of Immortals, Zhongli Quan, a native of Yantai, was also known as Mr. Yunfang. He was originally a great general of the Northern
Han Dynasty during the Five Dynasties. Due to a defeat in the expedition against Tubo, he fled alone into the deep mountains on horseback. He got lost in the mountains, and late at night, he met a Hu monk. The Hu monk led him for several miles until they reached a village. The Hu monk said, "This is the place where Mr. Donghua attained immortality," and then took his leave with a bow.
After a long time, Zhongli Quan heard someone say, "It must be that green-eyed Hu person who talked too much and lured this man here." At that moment, he saw an old man wearing a white deer skin coat and leaning on a green li cane, who asked loudly, "Could the visitor be General Zhongli Quan of the Han Dynasty? Why don't you stay with the mountain monk to learn Taoism?" Zhongli Quan was greatly shocked, knowing that this was no ordinary person, so he resolved to learn Taoism and begged the old man to teach him the way to save the world. Thus, the old man taught him the "True Longevity Formula" and also passed on to him the techniques of alchemy fire control and the Green Dragon Swordsmanship.
After mastering these skills, Zhongli Quan took his leave from the teacher. As soon as he said goodbye and turned back, the village had vanished without a trace. Zhongli Quan continued his studies, successively studying under Immortal Huayang and Wang Xuanfu, and obtained the secret of immortality. Later, Zhongli Quan resided in the Purple Gold Sihao Peak of Kongtong Mountain and became an immortal.
Legend has it that the old man was Tieguai Li (Iron-Crutch Li). Later, Zhongli Quan also enlightened
Lü Dongbin and helped him become an immortal.
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