Zhang Guolao

Zhang Guolao is the venerable Daoist hermit sage of enduring longevity, master of philosophical humor and the ancestral elder among the legendary Eight Immortals (Baxian) of China. He is famous for his enlightened eccentricity of riding his extraordinary magical white mule facing backwards, so as to contemplate the road already traveled; at the end of each journey he would fold the slender animal like a sheet of rice paper and keep it in his pilgrim's bag. Bearer of the yugu, a tubular bamboo drum struck with iron drumsticks, with which he sang prophetic songs at rural fairs, he showed total immunity to deadly poisons before the court of the Tang emperors and wisely mocked the vanities of worldly political power. He teaches humanity that inner serenity and good-humored modesty are the greatest achievements of the spiritual life. His humorous and wise example reminds everyone that true greatness lies in modesty and in the detachment of the heart.

14 min read · Reviewed on September 28, 2026 · How we research

The white donkey, the bamboo drum, the backward ride and old age

Primary sources

• Liu Xu, Jiu Tang Shu. translation: Herbert Franke, 1976.
• Ouyang Xiu, Xin Tang Shu. translation: Burton Watson, 1968.
• Li Fang, Taiping Guangji. translation: Pedro Ceinos, 2011.
• Wu Yuantai, Dongyouji. translation: Philip Clart, 2020.

Studies

• Kristofer Schipper, The Taoist Body. University of California Press, 1993.
• Henri Maspero, Taoism and Chinese Religion. University of Massachusetts Press, 1981.
• Isabelle Robinet, Taoism: Growth of a Religion. Stanford University Press, 1997.
• E. T. C. Werner, Myths and Legends of China. George G. Harrap & Co., 1922.