This fairly large pair of Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) architectural Corbel carvings is one out of two pairs containing the Daoist's Eight Immortals, depicting the famous Chinese tale “Ba-Xian-Guo-Hai (Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea). It's a tale with many different versions written in many different classics, literature, operas, paintings, wood carvings, and other forms of folk art. It's a story about the Eight Immortals having fun, crossing the ocean, after being drunk from a party at the Xi-Wong-Mu (西王母, Queen of the West Heaven）'s palace. They had decided each would use his or her own weapon or sacred object to cross the sea instead of riding on an ordinary boat, showing each in his or her special ability. During the course of doing so, they got into a big battle with the seventh son of the King of the East Sea Dragon. Hence, an incredible scene of fighting in huge waves with the dragon and the soldiers of the sea (derived from sea creatures such as crab, shrimp, fish, etc.) unfolded. Eventually, the battle was intervened by the South Sea Guan-Yin (Goddess of Mercy) and the Eight Immortals finished their journey and crossed the sea. One can only image the kind of theatrical galore in the details of the story!

On this pair of carvings, the one on the right to the top is He-Xian-Gu (何仙姑) who is the only female of the Eight Immortals, who holds a stem of lotus flower; the one at the left to the top is Lu-Dong-Bin (呂洞賓) who is a scholar and wears a sword; the one at the bottom right is 鐵拐李（Tei-Guai-Li), the beggar, who carries a wine gourd and a stick; and the one at the bottom left is Han-Zhong-Li (漢鐘離) , a martial general, who carries a fan.

Other fours include: Zhang-Guo-Lao (張果老), an elderly person, who either rides a donkey or holds a fisherman's drum; Lun-Cai-He (藍采和), a young theatrical actor, who holds a bamboo basket; Han-Xiang-Zi (韓湘子), a wealthy young man who became a monk at early age, who can play flute; Cao-Guo-Jiu (曹國舅), a relative of an imperial family, who holds a jade sector.

The Eight Immortals are probably by far the most highly worshiped and popular figures in Daoism among the working class and ordinary Chinese because they represent the ordinary people, including man and woman, young and old, rich and poor, who were originally human figures, became immortals through their strength and cultivation in virtue and deed in the religion.

Please note the beautiful detail in the carvings and the colors used, particularly the white powder look color pigment used on the face which is often seen on other carved or painted objects from the Ming Dynasty.

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