{"id":6232,"date":"2026-05-19T11:38:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T11:38:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/xi-wangmu\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T09:25:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T09:25:56","slug":"xi-wangmu","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/xi-wangmu\/","title":{"rendered":"Xi Wangmu"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"6232\" class=\"elementor elementor-6232 elementor-3044 elementor-bc-flex-widget\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9657ee0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"9657ee0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-78b1ecb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"78b1ecb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-74a729d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"74a729d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-da3cc37 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"da3cc37\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Xi Wangmu, Queen Mother of the West<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9043efc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9043efc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Xi Wangmu, the &#8220;Queen Mother of the West&#8221;, is one of the oldest and at the same time most complex female divine figures in Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of a culture's transmitted narratives about the gods.\" tabindex=\"0\">mythology<\/span>.<\/p><p>According to traditional belief she resides on the Kunlun mountains in the far west and possesses the peaches of immortality, which ripen only every three thousand or nine thousand years.<\/p><p>In the history of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The academic discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religion<\/span> she has undergone a remarkable transformation, from the archaic, semi-bestial western monster of the Shang period to the elegant Daoist celestial queen of the later <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">tradition<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d13aac5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d13aac5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5fbc7a3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"5fbc7a3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"God \/ goddess: personified supreme power within the pantheon of a culture, with clear domains of responsibility: forces of nature, fate, war, fertility. Venerated through cults, offerings and temple institutions.\">God<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/china\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religion of gods, spirits and the people: Daoist, Buddhist, Confucian.\">China<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-348dd89 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"348dd89\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-54c4cf6 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"54c4cf6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;exclude_headings_by_selector&quot;:[],&quot;no_headings_message&quot;:&quot;Es wurden keine \\u00dcberschriften auf dieser Seite gefunden.&quot;,&quot;headings_by_tags&quot;:[&quot;h2&quot;,&quot;h3&quot;],&quot;marker_view&quot;:&quot;bullets&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:{&quot;value&quot;:&quot;fas fa-circle&quot;,&quot;library&quot;:&quot;fa-solid&quot;,&quot;rendered_tag&quot;:&quot;&lt;svg class=\\&quot;e-font-icon-svg e-fas-circle\\&quot; viewBox=\\&quot;0 0 512 512\\&quot; xmlns=\\&quot;http:\\\/\\\/www.w3.org\\\/2000\\\/svg\\&quot;&gt;&lt;path d=\\&quot;M256 8C119 8 8 119 8 256s111 248 248 248 248-111 248-248S393 8 256 8z\\&quot;&gt;&lt;\\\/path&gt;&lt;\\\/svg&gt;&quot;},&quot;minimize_box&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;minimized_on&quot;:&quot;tablet&quot;,&quot;hierarchical_view&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;min_height&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;min_height_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"table-of-contents.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-toc__header-title\">\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--expand\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__54c4cf6\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Open table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-down\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M207.029 381.476L12.686 187.132c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941l22.667-22.667c9.357-9.357 24.522-9.375 33.901-.04L224 284.505l154.745-154.021c9.379-9.335 24.544-9.317 33.901.04l22.667 22.667c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941L240.971 381.476c-9.373 9.372-24.569 9.372-33.942 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__toggle-button elementor-toc__toggle-button--collapse\" role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-controls=\"elementor-toc__54c4cf6\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-label=\"Close table of contents\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"e-font-icon-svg e-fas-chevron-up\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M240.971 130.524l194.343 194.343c9.373 9.373 9.373 24.569 0 33.941l-22.667 22.667c-9.357 9.357-24.522 9.375-33.901.04L224 227.495 69.255 381.516c-9.379 9.335-24.544 9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__54c4cf6\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a95859 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5a95859\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08bc788 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"08bc788\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/goetter_china_xi-wangmu-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-6233\" alt=\"Xi Wangmu - gods from the Chinese tradition, historical and illustrative\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/goetter_china_xi-wangmu-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/goetter_china_xi-wangmu-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/goetter_china_xi-wangmu-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/goetter_china_xi-wangmu.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c1f79af e-con-boxed e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"c1f79af\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-29633cf e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"29633cf\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5895c46 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5895c46\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Early Evidence in the Shanhaijing<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e617f0e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e617f0e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The oldest evidence for Xi Wangmu is found in the &#8220;Shanhaijing&#8221; (&#8220;Classic of Mountains and Seas&#8221;), a work whose oldest layers reach back to the fourth and third centuries before our era.<\/p><p>The book &#8220;Western Mountains&#8221; describes her as a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being that unites the features of various living creatures in itself.\" tabindex=\"0\">hybrid being<\/span> with human features, a panther&#8217;s tail, tiger&#8217;s teeth and wild hair, who dwells on a mountain in the west and is responsible for pestilences and punitive judgements.<\/p><p>This early figure is anything but graceful; she stands in a line with other archaic Chinese divine beings that carry zoomorphic elements. Edward Schafer showed in &#8220;The Divine Woman&#8221; (San Francisco 1973) that the later iconographic smoothing of Xi Wangmu only begins from the Han period onward and reflects a profound shift in meaning.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8ca7262 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8ca7262\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e575668 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e575668\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Han-Period Transformation<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d6c2c7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d6c2c7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In the Han period (206 before our era to 220 of our era) the image of Xi Wangmu shifts radically. The monstrous plague goddess becomes the bestower of immortality.<\/p><p>The peaches of immortality, which grow on her trees on Kunlun, become the central <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring element of content in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span>. The Han period knew an intense preoccupation with the striving for bodily immortality (xian), and Xi Wangmu becomes the supreme patroness of this quest.<\/p><p>In the &#8220;Huainanzi&#8221; (second century before our era) she is the guardian of the elixir of immortality, which the archer Hou Yi receives from her and which his wife Chang&#8217;e then carries off to the moon.<\/p><p>This narrative links the Queen Mother of the West with the moon goddess and establishes an astronomical and cosmological depth dimension.<\/p><p>A significant episode is the legendary encounter of Xi Wangmu with the Zhou king Mu, transmitted in the &#8220;Mu Tianzi Zhuan&#8221; (fourth to third century before our era). The king travels west, meets the Queen Mother on one of her mountains and exchanges poems with her.<\/p><p>This encounter was taken up many times in later Chinese literature and art and stood for the connection of the earthly ruler with the divine powers of the west. Stephen Bokenkamp (&#8220;Early Daoist Scriptures&#8221;, Berkeley 1997) analysed the significance of this narrative for the self-legitimation of the early Daoist movements.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-691b21f e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"691b21f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96514c7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96514c7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Peaches of Immortality<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8d9a7f4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8d9a7f4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The pantao, the peaches of immortality, are the iconically most important attribute of Xi Wangmu. According to the traditions they ripen only every three thousand years; some versions speak of three thousand, six thousand and nine thousand years for three different varieties. Whoever eats a fruit becomes a xian, an immortal.<\/p><p>In &#8220;Journey to the West&#8221; (Xiyou Ji) the plundering of the peach garden by the Monkey King Sun Wukong is one of the best-known episodes of Chinese novelistic literature. This narrative elaboration is literary, but it draws on a mythological complex that has existed since the Han period.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9650940 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"9650940\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-45570bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"45570bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Connection with Yu Huang<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c03cc6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2c03cc6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>With the establishment of the Jade Emperor in the Song period, Xi Wangmu becomes the &#8220;Royal Mother&#8221; (Wangmu Niangniang), his consort. In the history of religion this connection is a late construction that brings together two originally separate divine complexes.<\/p><p>In this constellation she rules over the female half of the divine heaven and is the patroness of the female immortals, the Xian women.<\/p><p>Her seven daughters are central figures in the narratives of folk religion, above all the seventh daughter Zhin\u00fc, the &#8220;Weaver Girl&#8221;, whose story with the herdsman Niulang gives rise to the Qixi festival on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5b0f263 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"5b0f263\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-27c5721 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"27c5721\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Iconography<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-99476c4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"99476c4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The iconographic transformation of Xi Wangmu shows a shift in meaning that is exemplary for the Chinese history of religion.<\/p><p>The Han-period reliefs of the Sichuan and Shandong tombs still frequently show her with the sheng headdress, a characteristic crowning piece resembling a loom shuttle, and with her companion animal, the three-legged bird that brings her food, as well as the nine-tailed fox and the moon hare.<\/p><p>From the Tang period onward her depiction changes into that of an idealised courtly lady in long robes, often with a peach or a phoenix feather. In the Ming and Qing periods she is iconographically scarcely distinguishable from other Daoist celestial ladies; her <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or a meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> remains the peach.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-52bbc08 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"52bbc08\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b24c721 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"b24c721\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Cult and Veneration<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-026d838 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"026d838\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A structure that serves the veneration of one or more deities.\" tabindex=\"0\">Temples<\/span> of Xi Wangmu are widespread in China; they are concentrated especially in the west and north of the country. The Wangmu Palace on Mount Hua in Shaanxi is one of the most famous <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sacred place dedicated to the veneration of a deity.\" tabindex=\"0\">sanctuaries<\/span>.<\/p><p>Her festival days fall on the third day of the third lunar month (her birthday) and the eighteenth day of the seventh lunar month (the day of the peach festival).<\/p><p>On these days peach cakes and longevity noodles are offered. In Taiwan and in the Chinese diaspora her veneration is alive, especially in connection with the wish for longevity and in connection with the birthday celebrations of older family members, who are often given peach sculptures made of rice dough.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6b1d2b5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"6b1d2b5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0b78191 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0b78191\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Western Motif and Cultural Contacts<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-30d6afc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"30d6afc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The placing of Xi Wangmu in the &#8220;far west&#8221; is an element of interest in the religious geography. In the awareness of the early Han period the outermost known west lay in the regions of present-day Xinjiang, Kazakhstan and Iran. The Queen Mother thus became the mythological personification of the unknown beyond.<\/p><p>With the opening of the Silk Road from the late second century before our era, connections with western realms actually came into being, and the preoccupation with Xi Wangmu intensified.<\/p><p>In several studies Edward Schafer considered the possibility that Iranian or Central Asian religious conceptions might have flowed into the later shaping of the Queen Mother, without a direct path of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The passing on of knowledge and narratives across generations.\" tabindex=\"0\">transmission<\/span> being demonstrable.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5b4585 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5b4585\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ad0a352 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ad0a352\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Daoist Appropriation<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-58fef7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"58fef7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In organised <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religious-philosophical tradition oriented toward the Dao, the Way.\" tabindex=\"0\">Daoism<\/span>, above all in the Shangqing school of the fourth to sixth centuries, Xi Wangmu became the supreme female teacher of immortality.<\/p><p>She is said to have revealed several central texts of the school, among them instructions on breath meditation and inner <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A pre-modern combination of natural philosophy and symbolic science; working with material transformation as inner transformation.\" tabindex=\"0\">alchemy<\/span>. Suzanne Cahill examined this Daoist appropriation in detail in &#8220;Transcendence and Divine Passion.<\/p><p>The Queen Mother of the West in Medieval China&#8221; (Stanford 1993) and showed that within Shangqing <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The scholarly doctrine of God and of the faith of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">theology<\/span> Xi Wangmu occupies a distinct position, independent of the later, Confucian-shaped hierarchy.<\/p><p>Her study also makes clear that female Daoist practitioners found in Xi Wangmu a figure of direct identification, whose existence was not legitimated through any male mediation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c71eb24 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c71eb24\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6192592 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6192592\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Classification in Religious Studies<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f84b2e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2f84b2e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Anne Birrell and Sarah Allan have independently pointed out that Xi Wangmu, as a divine figure, embodies a transition from an archaic, nature-<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Practices that seek to intervene in the course of events through special actions or formulas.\" tabindex=\"0\">magical<\/span> conception to a courtly and civilisational one.<\/p><p>The peaches of immortality thereby symbolise not only power over life and death; they are also an image of cultivation, for the peach is a deliberately cultivated fruit and thus represents a civilisational achievement.<\/p><p>In this tension between wild power and cultivated dignity lies one of the foundations of the enduring significance of Xi Wangmu for Chinese religion.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7da9250 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"7da9250\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a7e447a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a7e447a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Sources and Further Reading<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a634e28 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a634e28\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p>Primary sources: Shanhaijing (&#8220;Classic of Mountains and Seas&#8221;), book &#8220;Western Mountains&#8221;; Mu Tianzi Zhuan (fourth to third century before our era); Huainanzi; Han-period tomb reliefs from Sichuan and Shandong; Shangqing texts of the fourth to sixth centuries; Journey to the West (Xiyou Ji).<\/p><p>Secondary literature: Edward Schafer, &#8220;The Divine Woman&#8221;, San Francisco 1973; Suzanne Cahill, &#8220;Transcendence and Divine Passion. The Queen Mother of the West in Medieval China&#8221;, Stanford 1993; Anne Birrell, &#8220;Chinese Mythology. An Introduction&#8221;, Baltimore 1993; Stephen Bokenkamp, &#8220;Early Daoist Scriptures&#8221;, Berkeley 1997; Sarah Allan, &#8220;The Shape of the Turtle&#8221;, Albany 1991; Mark Lewis, &#8220;The Construction of Space in Early China&#8221;, Albany 2006.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3b6047f e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3b6047f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-515b864 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"515b864\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Mount Kunlun as a Cosmic Place<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5fef03 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d5fef03\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Mount Kunlun, on which Xi Wangmu resides according to tradition, is a central cosmic place in Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of a culture's transmitted narratives about the gods.\" tabindex=\"0\">mythology<\/span>.<\/p><p>Geographically it is mostly identified with the present-day Kunlun mountains in Xinjiang or with the mountain ranges of eastern Tibet, but mythologically it is primarily a vertical world-axis mountain, comparable to Mount Meru of the Indian tradition or Olympus of the Greek.<\/p><p>On its summit, according to the conception of the Huainanzi, lies the &#8220;Hanging Garden&#8221; (Xuanpu), which bears the peaches of immortality. From Kunlun the most important Chinese rivers flow down, among them the Yellow River, whose source was thought, according to the Han-period conception, to lie on the mountain.<\/p><p>In &#8220;Pacing the Void&#8221; (Berkeley 1977) Edward Schafer set out in detail how Kunlun was constructed in the Daoist cosmography of the Han and Tang periods as the centre of cosmic geography.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab463b5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ab463b5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3e74366 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3e74366\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Three-Legged Bird and the Nine-Tailed Fox<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5aaea46 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5aaea46\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The companions of Xi Wangmu, above all in the Han-period <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The study of pictorial content and its meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">iconography<\/span>, form a mythological ensemble of their own. The three-legged bird (sanzu wu) is regarded as the food-bringer of the goddess; it is also frequently identified with the sun, in which, according to traditional belief, a three-legged raven dwells.<\/p><p>The nine-tailed fox (jiuwei hu) is a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or a meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> of cosmic prosperity and bliss, but in later narratives this fox also took on ambivalent, sometimes demonic connotations.<\/p><p>The moon hare, which pounds the elixir of immortality, is according to some versions identified with the woman Chang&#8217;e, who received the elixir from Xi Wangmu and carried it off to the moon.<\/p><p>These three animal figures together form the cosmic court of the Queen Mother and are depicted in her surroundings in numerous Han-period tomb reliefs.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-83bf23e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"83bf23e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1861bdd elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1861bdd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Xi Wangmu and the Shangqing School<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5de5307 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5de5307\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The Shangqing school of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religious-philosophical tradition oriented toward the Dao, the Way.\" tabindex=\"0\">Daoism<\/span>, founded in the 360s in southern China, gave Xi Wangmu a special position. According to the revelations granted to Yang Xi and his associates, she is the supreme female teacher of immortality.<\/p><p>She is said to have revealed several central texts of the school, among them instructions on breath meditation, on the visual imagination of the inner body and on the absorption of starlight.<\/p><p>Suzanne Cahill translated and commented on the Shangqing texts concerning Xi Wangmu in detail in &#8220;Transcendence and Divine Passion&#8221; (Stanford 1993). One of her most important observations is that Shangqing <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The scholarly doctrine of God and of the faith of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">theology<\/span> permits female practitioners a direct identification with Xi Wangmu, without mediation through male teachers being necessary.<\/p><p>This constellation has been described in the research on the history of religion as one of the few female-autonomous spaces of Daoist practice.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32649c7 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"32649c7\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6b9c39c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6b9c39c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Peach as a Cultural Symbol<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab018e6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"ab018e6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The peach (tao), the most important attribute of Xi Wangmu, is in the Chinese cultural context more than merely a fruit. It stands for longevity, is <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Averting evil: said of signs and objects intended to keep harmful influences away.\" tabindex=\"0\">apotropaic<\/span> in its effect (peach wood is traditionally used to drive away <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A spiritual being to which harmful or ambivalent effect is attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">demons<\/span>) and symbolises fertility, youth and feminine grace.<\/p><p>At the birthday celebrations of older family members, peach-shaped cakes made of rice dough are traditionally given (shoutao, &#8220;longevity peaches&#8221;).<\/p><p>This tradition goes back to the pantao veneration of Xi Wangmu and is a good example of how a religious conception can pass over into a secular cultural <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of the transmitted customs of a community.\" tabindex=\"0\">custom<\/span> without the religious root having to be explicitly present.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e77517 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"9e77517\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7b8a308 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"7b8a308\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Mu Tianzi Zhuan Encounter<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-45abd8d elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"45abd8d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The &#8220;Mu Tianzi Zhuan&#8221; (Records of the Son of Heaven Mu), a text probably composed in the late Zhou or early Han period, describes the legendary journey of the Zhou king Mu (reigned ca. 956 to 918 before our era) to the dwelling of Xi Wangmu.<\/p><p>The text was rediscovered in 281 of our era in a royal tomb at Ji (Henan) and is thus archaeologically attested. It describes in detail the king&#8217;s journey west, the meeting with Xi Wangmu on Mount Kunlun and the exchange of poetic songs between the two.<\/p><p>This narrative marks the transition of Xi Wangmu from a wild demi-<span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A being venerated as divine within a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">deity<\/span> in the older layers to a dignified queen who deals with the Son of Heaven as an equal.<\/p><p>R\u00e9mi Mathieu translated and commented on the Mu Tianzi Zhuan into French in 1978. The significance of the text for <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The discipline that studies religions comparatively and without confessional commitment.\" tabindex=\"0\">religious studies<\/span> lies in its attesting the transformation of the goddess in an intermediate phase: the wild being with tiger&#8217;s teeth from the Shanhaijing is here already softened, but the full Han-period ennoblement into a court goddess is still to come.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c10145e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c10145e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-99228bd elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"99228bd\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Han Reliefs and the Western Motif<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-aafbe47 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"aafbe47\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In Han tomb reliefs (first to third century of our era) Xi Wangmu is one of the most frequent depictions.<\/p><p>She typically sits on a throne, flanked by the three-legged bird (san zu wu), the nine-tailed fox (jiu wei hu) and the moon hare, which pounds the elixir of immortality. These companion animals are standard iconographic attributes.<\/p><p>Suzanne Cahill (&#8220;Transcendence and Divine Passion: The Queen Mother of the West in Medieval China&#8221;, Stanford 1993) systematically evaluated the Han iconography and showed that the reliefs are concentrated in two main regions: Shandong and Sichuan.<\/p><p>The Sichuan reliefs from the tomb chambers of Cangshan and other places are particularly rich in detail and depict Xi Wangmu in a western-heaven court surrounded by numerous immortals. This visualisation was motivated by religious eschatology: people hoped to reach Xi Wangmu in the afterlife and to attain immortality at her court.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ddcc500 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ddcc500\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-198facc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"198facc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Peach Motif in the Han Wudi Neizhuan<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9300987 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9300987\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring element of content in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span> of the peach trees in Xi Wangmu&#8217;s garden, whose fruits ripen only every 3000 or 9000 years and confer immortality, is an older Han tradition and received its <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Belonging to the authoritatively recognized body of scriptures of a religion.\" tabindex=\"0\">canonical<\/span> form in the &#8220;Han Wudi neizhuan&#8221; (Inner Records of the Han Emperor Wu, probably fourth to sixth century).<\/p><p>There it is reported how Xi Wangmu gave seven peaches to the Han Emperor Wu (reigned 141 to 87 before our era).<\/p><p>The emperor kept the stones in order to cultivate them himself, which Xi Wangmu met with the remark that these peaches grew only in the western heaven and not in the earthly world.<\/p><p>This episode is interesting in terms of religious politics; it addresses the tension between imperial power and transcendent immortality. In the &#8220;Xiyou Ji&#8221; (Journey to the West, 16th c.) the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A recurring element of content in art or narrative.\" tabindex=\"0\">motif<\/span> was taken up in literature, with Sun Wukong plundering Xi Wangmu&#8217;s peach plantation and thereby disrupting the famous bucolic divine festival.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ab076aa e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"ab076aa\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-070a91a elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"070a91a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Shangqing School and the Spiritual Transformation of Xi Wangmu<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1004c74 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1004c74\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>In the Shangqing school of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Chinese religious-philosophical tradition oriented toward the Dao, the Way.\" tabindex=\"0\">Daoism<\/span> (founded in the fourth century of our era) Xi Wangmu underwent a spiritual reinterpretation. She became the teacher of the immortals and the guardian of the secret revelations.<\/p><p>The Shangqing texts, above all the &#8220;True Scriptures of the Great Purity&#8221; (Shangqing Jing), describe how Xi Wangmu appeared to Yang Xi (330 to 386) and other visionaries within the mountains and transmitted secret teachings to them.<\/p><p>Isabelle Robinet (&#8220;M\u00e9ditation tao\u00efste&#8221;, Paris 1979) and Edward Schafer (&#8220;Mirages on the Sea of Time&#8221;, Berkeley 1985) examined the Shangqing visionary literature in depth. The ennoblement of Xi Wangmu into the supreme female Daoist is completed in this school; she becomes the mother of all female immortals and the teacher of paradigmatic texts of <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A ritual transition through which someone is admitted into a new status or community.\" tabindex=\"0\">initiation<\/span>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-aa41cd2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"aa41cd2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d92d15 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d92d15\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Peach as a Symbol of Longevity<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e41e4f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"8e41e4f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The peach is one of the most prominent symbols of longevity in the Chinese cultural sphere. This symbolism goes directly back to the Xi Wangmu <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A transmitted narrative about gods, origins and the order of the world.\" tabindex=\"0\">myth<\/span>.<\/p><p>In the visual art of the Ming and Qing periods the peach, alongside the crane and the pine, became a fixed pictorial cipher for a long life. In the modern culture of the Chinese-speaking world too, peaches are traditional birthday gifts to elders.<\/p><p>Beyond this, folk religion interprets the peach <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Averting evil: said of signs and objects intended to keep harmful influences away.\" tabindex=\"0\">apotropaically<\/span>: peach-wood swords (taomu jian) are regarded as effective against demons. This apotropaic function is attested in the Yijing commentary and in the Han-period lexica (Shuowen Jiezi). The peach tree of Xi Wangmu is therefore not only a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"A sign that stands in place of an idea or a meaning.\" tabindex=\"0\">symbol<\/span> of immortality, but also of cosmological protective power.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eef0f8f e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"eef0f8f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5aa7c6d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5aa7c6d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The Moon Hare and the Elixir of Immortality<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-be3c720 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"be3c720\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The moon hare (Yutu) belongs to the court of Xi Wangmu and pounds the elixir of immortality in a mortar on the moon. This conception is attested since the Han reliefs and is transmitted in comparable form across Korea, Japan and Vietnam.<\/p><p>The connection of the hare with the moon and with immortality is possibly of Central Asian origin and migrated into the Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The collection of a religion's sacred scriptures recognised as binding.\" tabindex=\"0\">canon<\/span> by way of the Silk Road.<\/p><p>The hare already appears in Indian Jataka stories and in Mongolian and Turkic myths. In several studies on the Tang period Edward Schafer discussed the transcontinental spread of the moon-hare motif.<\/p><p>In the modern Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie) the moon hare is a central pictorial figure, especially in children&#8217;s literature and in mooncake packaging design.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-95dbd08 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"95dbd08\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9f7ec17 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9f7ec17\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a3e0453 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a3e0453\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Who is Xi Wangmu?<\/strong> The &#8220;Queen Mother of the West&#8221;, one of the oldest female divine figures of Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The totality of a culture's transmitted narratives about the gods.\" tabindex=\"0\">mythology<\/span>. In the course of the history of religion she was reinterpreted from an archaic plague deity into the elegant bestower of immortality.<\/p><p><strong>What are the peaches of immortality?<\/strong> The pantao, which according to tradition ripen only every three thousand, six thousand or nine thousand years. Whoever eats one becomes a xian, an immortal.<\/p><p><strong>Where does Xi Wangmu live?<\/strong> On Mount Kunlun in the far west. Geographically this mountain is mostly identified with the present-day Kunlun mountains in Xinjiang or with eastern Tibet, but mythologically it is primarily a vertical world-axis mountain.<\/p><p><strong>What is her relationship to the Jade Emperor?<\/strong> In later Chinese <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Religious ideas and customs that are widespread in everyday life.\" tabindex=\"0\">folk belief<\/span> (from the Song period onward) she is venerated as the consort of the Jade Emperor. This connection is a late construction in the history of religion that brings together two originally separate divine complexes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Xi Wangmu, Queen Mother of the West Xi Wangmu, the &#8220;Queen Mother of the West&#8221;, is one of the oldest and at the same time most complex female divine figures in Chinese mythology. According to traditional belief she resides on the Kunlun mountains in the far west and possesses the peaches of immortality, which ripen [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6233,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Xi Wangmu","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Xi Wangmu: Queen Mother of the West | iWell Guard","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Xi Wangmu, the Queen Mother of the West, guards the peach tree of immortality. 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