The Bian Dongxuan 边洞玄

Bian Dongxuan was a female Taoist priest during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, and was later revered as a female immortal in the Song Dynasty. Her biography is recorded in Volume 6 of Yunji Qiqian (Seven Slips of the Cloudy Satchel), a classic Taoist scripture collection.

She was originally the daughter of a family from Fanyang in Youzhou (now part of Hebei Province). From birth, she was kind-hearted and cherished all living creatures. In her childhood, she began to practice the "bigu" technique (a Taoist practice of abstaining from grain to cultivate vitality). When she reached the age of marriage (15 years old, marked by the "ji" ceremony in ancient China), she refused to marry. Later, she became a Taoist priest, and regularly took alchemical elixirs, sesame seeds, ginseng, and poria mushrooms. She was also skilled in the bigu technique, and additionally fed wild animals to accumulate "yinde" (hidden virtue, a concept in Chinese culture referring to good deeds done without seeking recognition).

Subsequently, she completely abstained from grain and continued to feed birds and insects for 30 years. One day, she encountered an old man who gave her an alchemical elixir. After taking the elixir, Bian Dongxuan ascended (in the Taoist sense of achieving immortality and departing the mortal world), and a rare fragrance lingered in the air for a long time.

People in the Song Dynasty passed down the legend that she ascended to heaven in broad daylight.