The Zhang Guolao 张果老 One of the Eight Immortals in Taoism

Zhang Guolao is one of the Eight Immortals in Taoism, with his magic weapon being a paper-folded donkey. Among the Eight Immortals, the most distinctive feature of Zhang Guolao is his "old age". According to The New Book of Tang · Biography of Occult Arts, in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, Zhang Guolao lived in seclusion in the Zhongtiao Mountain area of Hengzhou, where he attained profound Taoist wisdom. He often traveled between the Fen and Jin regions, and it was widely said that he was hundreds of years old. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, he was summoned to the imperial court. He claimed, "I was born in the year of Bingzi during Emperor Yao's reign and served as a Shizhong (a high-ranking court official)." Based on this, Zhang Guolao's age would date back at least over 3,000 years.

Another legend goes like this: In the Tang Dynasty, there was a Taoist priest named Ye Jingneng, who claimed to know everything in heaven and on earth. He was in favor with Emperor Xuanzong. When the emperor asked him about Zhang Guolao's origin, Ye replied, "Zhang Guolao is a bat spirit from the time of the Primordial Chaos." In Taoism, "Primordial Chaos" refers to the state before heaven and earth took shape. Thus, Zhang Guolao was almost as old as heaven and earth, which highlights his extreme antiquity.

The most memorable impression Zhang Guolao leaves on people is his mount and the way he rides it. He rides a paper-folded donkey, and what's more, he sits backward on the donkey's back, facing the rear. This donkey is no ordinary one—it can "travel tens of thousands of miles a day". When resting, the donkey can be folded up and put into a pocket. When needed, "it can be sprayed with water to turn back into a donkey". This donkey can even cross oceans and seas, capable of doing anything.

There is an ancient poem praising Zhang Guolao: "Of all the people in the world, none is like this old man; he doesn't ride the donkey forward, but looks back on all things."