Eight Immortals: Lan Caihe

Lan Caihe is actually the least defined of the Eight Immortals. Lan Caihe's age isn’t even known and is usually seen wearing sexually ambiguous clothing. Thing is, Lan Caihe’s gender is ambiguous in itself, some say male, others female, Lan Caihe might even be a transvestite, transsexual or hermaphrodite. The talisman that Lan Caihe has is a flower basket that not only contains divine flowers but can be used to communicate with gods. Lan Caihe is the patron of beggars, minstrels, actors, florists, gardeners and the mentally ill.

Lan Caihe’s behaviour in itself is eccentric and so is the clothing. Lan Caihe is said to have been a beggar and a wanderer who carried castanets. Lan Caihe used the castanets to clap and make a beat with it by hitting it on the ground, singing to this very beat. This would attract and entertain people who would give Lan Caihe money, to which Lan Caihe would string. When walking the coins would fall off the string, Lan Caihe wouldn’t care about the falling money and this allowed other beggars to get the money. Lan Caihe also gave coins to the needy whenever s/he could.

 

The clothing Lan Caihe wears is a tattered blue gown, one shoe, plenty of cotton-wool clothing during the summer to keep warm and little clothing during the winter, even sleeping naked in the snow. Lan Caihe even wears a wooden belt. Overall, Lan Caihe is a pretty eccentric person who was known to sleep in a field or collapse in the middle of an inn to get some shut eye and when hungry earn enough money for food and some wine by entertaining others.

Personality wise, Lan Caihe is resourceful, quick-witted and with a sense of humour. Although Lan Caihe may seems crazy this person might not actually be as crazy as s/he seems to be.

How Lan Caihe gained immortality is a strange one, Lan Caihe helped a beggar, washing his boils and sores. Nursing this beggar back to health, Lan Caihe was rewarded immortality for this.  This beggar actually have been one of the other Eight Immortals in disguise, Li Xuan.
Its also claimed that Lan Caihe’s singing accurately predict future events.

A story of Lan Caihe goes that s/he was drinking wine in a tavern when music of a reed-organ and flute started playing suddenly. The next moment Lan Caihe soared into the sky on the back of a crane, dropping the clothes s/he was wearing to the ground.