八仙  Eight Immortals

In Chinese mythology the Eight Immortals (Chinese: 八仙; pinyin: Bāxiān; Wade-Giles: Pa-hsien) are a group of legendary "xian" (spiritually and/or physically immortal; transcendent; super-human; celestial beings.)

The Eight Immortals have been part of Chinese oral history long befor they were recorded in the works of writers of various dynasties - Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming.
But it was Wu Yuantai (吳元泰 wú yuán taì) of the Ming dynasty who wrote 'The Emergence of the Eight lmmortals and their Travels to the East', since than the Eight began to be clearly distinguished.
In Chinese mythology the Eight Immortals are believed to know the secrets of nature. They represent separately male, female, the old, the young, the rich, the noble, the poor, and the humble Chinese.
Each Immortal's power can be transferred to a tool of power, kind of a talisman associated with a certain meaning, that can give life or destroy evil.
Together, these eight tools are called “Hidden Eight Immortals” or "Covert Eight Immortals".
The Eight were called the "Roaming Immortals" in Taoist legends.
Not only are they revered by Taoists, but by all Chinese society. They are the base for various literature, folk tales and are pictured in art. Symbols are representing the characteristic attributes of each Immortal and they were depicted on a wide variety of porcelain, bronze, ivory, and embroidered objects.

From the time of the Ming dynasty, there is another work by an unknown writer, called The "Eight Immortals Cross the Sea" (八仙過海; bā xiān guò hǎi). The legend is about the Immortals on a journey to attend the "Conference of the Magical Peach" (蟠桃會 pán taó huì) and on this journey they encounter an ocean. Instead of going across by their clouds, the immortals way of transportation, their leader Lü Dongbin suggested, that they all together should use their magical powers to get across. Stemming from this, the Chinese proverb "The Eight Immortals cross the Sea, each reveals its divine power" indicates the situation that everybody should show off their powers to achieve a common goal.

The Eight Immortals are: