Lü Dongbin

It’s a pleasure to present Lü Dongbing coin, the second issue in the The Immortal Eight series.

The Eight Immortals (八仙) are a group of legendary xian (“immortals”) in Chinese mythology. The power of each immortal can be transferred to a vessel that can grant life or destroy evil. Together, these eight vessels are called the “Eight Covert Immortals”.

Lü Dongbin is the best known of the eight immortals and is considered by some to be the real leader, although the official leader is Zhongli Quan. In artistic depictions he appears dressed as a scholar, carrying a sword to ward off evil and a fly-scarer. He is worshipped by the sick and honoured as a scholar.

The obverse depicts another part of the residence of the gods and several herons, from the farthest to the nearest, which always accompany the eight immortals, and the effigy of the Public Seal of Niue.