Qingdao University often does weekend trips for their foreign teachers. This last trip they were kind enough to open it up to anyone interested.

Penlai is on the North side of the Shandong Penisula. It is a city steeped in Chinese lore, this is the spot from which the Eight Immortals departed. As I’ve tried to research the Eight Immortals it has turned out to be your typical Chinese story, many different versions with little cohesiveness. The rough story from Wendy, Eight immortals who exemplified various attirbutes admired by the gods. They were made immortal with the intention they would hlep mankind devlope those attibutes. Antoher version, they were eight famous literary characters combined during the Yuan Dynasty. The few consistancies are their names, symbols and the fact that they lived and departed from Penglai.

The Eight Immortals

 

Li T’ieh-kuai
LI TieGuai
李鐵拐

 “Iron-crutch Li”, who always carries a crutch and a gourd; he is the emblem of the sick.
Chungli Ch’uan
Zhongli Quan
鐘離權

 Usually shown with a fan; he represents the military man
Lan Ts’ai-ho
LAN CaiHe
藍采和

 The strolling singer, either a woman or a young boy, shown with a flower-basket; patron deity of florist.
Chang Kuo-lao
ZHANG GuoLao
張果老

 Said to have lived in the 7-th or early 8-th century, shown as a rule with his mule, and carrying a bamboo tube-drum with iron sticks; he is the emblem of old men.
Ho Hsien-ku
HE XianGu
何仙姑

 A woman, said to have lived in the late 7-th century, shown with a lotus blossom or flower basket, and occasionally with a peach and sheng reed-organ.
Lu Tung-pin
LU DongBin
呂洞賓

 Born c. 755 AD, died 805 AD, shown with a fly-whisker, is dressed as a scholar, and honored as such. He also had a magic sword with which he performed freak feats, for which reason he is also the patron deity of barbers.
Han Hsiang-tzu
HAN XiangZi
韓湘子

 Said to be the nephew of the Tang Dynasty statesman and scholar Han Yu, is often shown with a flute, and patron deity of musicians.
Ts’ao Kuo-ch’iu
CAO GuoJiu
曹國舅

 Said to have been connected with the Sung Imperial family, and is generally shown with castanets or a jade tablet of admission to court; patron deity of actors.

http://www.chinapage.com/8-immortal.html

Fishing Boats off the beach

 

Restored Pavillions

 

The Chinese equivelent of Alcatraz

 

This island lays of the north coast of the penisula. It was originally colinized as a prison for the empires worst criminals. The swim back is long and trecherous, it is believed only a few have made it. Durring one dynasty it reached maximum capacity and to clear space for new prisons the worst criminals were executed each month.

 
 

Where the North Sea and the Yellow See meet

 

The Fortress

 

This is the fortress in which the Eight Immortals lived. It was built as a defense against the invading Japanese and houses the temple of the Eight Immortals, the Sea Goddess and the Dragaon God.

The Bell Tower

 

Victoria and I

 

Ancient vessels recovered from the area

 

The City of Penglai