The Ding Lingwei 丁令威

Ding Lingwei was a native of Liaodong (present-day southeastern Liaoning) during the Han Dynasty.

He studied Taoism under his teacher on Lingxu Mountain, and later became a monk in Qu'e, serving as a Taoist priest at Taixiao Temple.

According to Volume 10 of Lishi Zhenxian Tidao Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror of the True Immortals Throughout History Who Embodied the Dao) and Shiji Waiji (Supplementary Collection of Poetry Records), it is said that after Ding Lingwei attained Taoism, he transformed into a white crane, stood on the gate of the county town, and sang: "There is a bird, there is a bird, Ding Lingwei; leaving home for a hundred years, now I return at last. The city walls remain as before, but the people are not the same. Why not learn to become immortals, instead of leaving piles of decaying ruins?" Then he soared high into the sky and flew away.