Page 238 - The Encyclopedia of Taoism v1_A-L

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Anqi Sheng

Anqi Sheng is a legendary immortal, reputed to have been a thousand years old
durIng the reign of Qin Shi huangdi (r. 221- 210 BCE). According to the *Liexian
zhuan (Biographies of Exemplary Immortals; trans. Kaltenmark I9S3, IIS-I8),
he was from Langya 1ll~:£AI) (Shandong). He sold medicines by the coast, and
was known as the Thousand Year-Old Gentleman (Qiansui weng T ~ ~). The
same source relates that when Qin Shi huangdi was travelling east, he spoke
with Anqi for three days and nights. The emperor gave him a large quantity
of jade and gold. Allqi returned the treasure, along with a pair of red jade
slippers and a message inviting the emperor to seek him several years later on
the island of *Penglai in the eastern sea. The emperor later sent an expedition
in search of Anqi, but it was unable to reach Penglai. The Shiji (Records of
the Historian; trans. Watson 1961, 2: 39) records the Han dynasty alchemist *Li
Shaojun's claim to have visited Anqi Sheng during his travels on the eastern
sea, where he had seen the legendary immortal eat jujubes as big as melons.
Han Wudi (r. 141- 87 BCE), like Qin Shi huangdi before him, sent explorers on
an unsuccessful mission to find Anqi on Penglai. Anqi Sheng learned his arts,
according to the Gaoshi zhuan r'i'IJ ±fw (Biographies of Eminent Gentlemen,
compiled by Huangfu Mi ~ lt~ , 2IS- 82), from Heshang zhangren ~...t3t
A (Great Man of the River Bank), an ancient master sometimes identified
with the author of the Daode jing commentary known as *Laozi Heshang gong
zhangju.
Anqi Sheng occupies an important place in the *Taiqing and *Shangqing
traditions. He is held to be one of the earliest Taiqing masters, and is said to
have transmitted the Method of the Furnace Fire for the Divine Elixir (shendan
luhuo zhi fang ;f$ H 1111 j( ~ 1J) to Li Shaojun, and to have provided *Maming
sheng with the Method of the Elixir of the Golden Liquor (jinye danfa ~?~
H?~). His name appears in Shangqing scriptures as one of the Perfected of
the Four Poles (Siji zhenren 12Y~~A), and he is identified as the Perfected
of the Northern Pole (Beiji zhenren ~t~~A) in *Tao Hongjing's *Zhen-
ling weiye tu (Chart of the Ranks and Functions of the Perfected Numinous
Beings).
In literary works, Anqi Sheng's name continued to be linked with the island
of Penglai, as for example in Mu Hua's *~ (fl. 290) Haifu ffll!lil: (Rhapsody
on the Sea; trans. Knechtges 1982--96, 2: 30S- 2o). Several geographicalloca-
tions in China are also associated with this famous immortal, including the

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