Cao Guo-jiu

[Chinese] One of the Ba Xian, the eight immortals of Chinese myth. He was the brother-in-law of an emperor from the Song Dynasty. Cao Guo-jiu himself lived an exemplary life, but his younger brother became a murderer. In shame, he retreated to the mountains where he lived a very long life as a hermit. Lu Dong-bin, another immortal, taught Cao how to attain perfection and within a few days he became an immortal. Cao Guo-jiu is the patron of actors. He is frequently portrayed holding a pair of castanets.