¶ Xian Tao, Peaches of Immortality
In Chinese mythology, Peaches of Immortality are consumed by the immortals due to their mystic virtue of conferring longevity on all who eat them.
Peaches symbolising immortality (or the wish for a long and healthy life) are a common symbol in Chinese art, appearing in depictions or descriptions in a number of fables, paintings, and other forms of art, often in association with thematically similar iconography, such as certain deities or immortals or other symbols of longevity, such as deer or cranes.
¶ Xian Tao in Journey To The West
The Peaches of Immortality are a major item featured within the popular fantasy novel ‘Journey to the West.’ The peaches are first encountered when, in heaven, Sun Wukong is stationed as the Protector of the Peaches.
The peach garden include three types of peaches, all of which grant over 3,000 years of life if only one is consumed. As the Protector, Sun Wukong realizes the effects of the sacred peaches and acts quickly as to consume one, before he runs into trouble when Xi Wangmu arrives to hold a peach banquet for many members of Heaven. Sun Wukong makes himself very small to hide within a peach during the banquet, before consuming more, thus gaining immortality and the abilities that come with the peaches.
¶ Peaches of Immortality in Takuan’s Adventures
In ‘Adventures of Takuan from Koto,’ xiantao peaches resemble the Sun Wukong’s ones closely. They grow in the peach garden that is situated on top of the Mount Gunlun, where the temple of Xiwanmu stands. Eating a sacred peach, the stone marten Ta-Guan becomes immortal and gains access to Heavens thus bringing the Great Storm upon all three realms.
Those were the very fruits that grew in the temple of the Wisdom Goddess Xiwanmu, atop the sacred mountain Gunlun. Only those who were destined to become immortal could get into it.
Marten Ta-Guan sneaks into the garden and takes a bite of a peach thus obtaining immortality. So starts marten’s journey to Heavens.
As soon as the marten plunged her teeth into the softness of the peach pulp, her eyes began to spin. Surprised, she unclenched her paws and fell to the ground. Peach juices ran through her body, penetrating each of her limbs and touching each of her senses. Without knowing it herself, the marten had tasted the fruit of the magical Xiantao tree.