According to the Chinese legend, a human who attended a high level of meditation, or who by mistake ate a certain divine fruit or flower, or had a strange encounter with a supreme being or Immortal, may achieve immortality and hence become an Immortal.

Most Immortals traveled solo across the continent of China. In the year 600-1,000 A.D., there appeared to be a group of Eight Immortals that always traveled together throughout China. Unlike their predecessors who are almost always serious, this group of Immortals always came in a happy mood and were accompanied by laughter in most cases. They appeared to lead a carefree, leisurely lifestyle. Eventually, they became known as the Eight Drunken Immortals.

Li Tie Kuai  

His real name is Li Chuan. He was born around 500 A.D. and was a very respected Taoist teacher in China and had many disciples. His meditation reached a very high level; passed Boddhisattua level and beginning toward the Nirvana state which eventually ended in Buddha or enlightenment. It was during this state of meditative training that he practice what modern terminology would call Astral-projection. At this state of meditation, his soul left his body and traveled through space to the various parts of China. In this dream-like travel, he encountered another Immortal, Shi Chang, who possessed a meditative level that surpassed his. Li Chuan begged Shi Chang to teach him his technique. The legend has it that Li Chuan was so absorbed by Shi Chang's teachings that a year had passed by before he realized that he must return to his body immediately or lose his immortality. He quickly bid Shi Chang good bye and returned to his hometown. Upon reaching his quarters, Li Chuan found out that his body had disappeared. His disciples had thought that he had passed away and buried his body a long time ago. Li Chuan knew he must find a new body right away or lose his immortality forever. the body he sought must be found at the instant the person died and his soul must replace the soul of the previous owner at once. At the moment of his search, there were only three candidates available; a child, a woman, and an old man. Li Chuan was very disappointed at the selection. Nevertheless, he know he must enter one of the bodies right away. As it turned out, the old man passed away first, and thus Li entered the old man's body. As soon as he possessed the body, Li was furious to find how miserable, ugly, and unsightly, not to mention crippled his new appearance was. At the height of his anger, he pulled and twisted the short stick that the old man left and transformed it into a crooked iron crutch. Hence he obtained his name Li Tie Kuai - The Iron Crutch Li. He was the leader of the Eight Immortals and known for his "limp" during his fighting techniques.

Siang Chung Li  

He was born in the year 550 A.D. and was strong as an ox and had the appearance of a very rugged and rude person. He loved to fight and drink wine, and was a famous wino in his hometown. One day he met a crippled and ugly old beggar, who rudely told him that he would beat him if he did not start to straighten out his life. Siang Chung Li laughed his head off when he heard this and began attacking the old crippled beggar violently. To his surprise, the crippled beggar kept his word and really did beat him. After his defeat, Siang became the disciple of the old beggar and began following him everywhere he went. The beggar was none other than Li Tie Kuai. Siang later gained his immortality after meditating for nine years at Hua Mountain. His love for wine never ceased, even after his immortality. One day at the bottom of Hua Mountain, he nearly lost his immortality by being almost eaten by a Manchurian tiger while he was drunk. He woke up just in time and killed the tiger instead. In the fighting system of the Eight Immortals, he represents the element of solidness, stability, strength, and power.

Chuang Kuo Lao

His name translates as "Chuang, the man who is as old as the country." He was the oldest of all the Immortals. He was born around 400 A.D. and was a scholar and a hermit. He spent most of his life reading and meditating. It is said that he had read all the books available at that time. Chuang was a avid believer of Lao-Tse - The Old One. He can cite Lao-Tse's famous book "Tao-Te-Ching" backward. So intense was his concentration in reading various religious and philosophical books while riding his horse, that sometimes he would ride his horse backwards without realizing it. Thus in many story books, he was almost always depicted as riding his horse backwards while deeply engaging in reading of some sort. In the fighting system of the Eight Immortals, Chuang represents wisdom, elusiveness, and etiquette or properness.

Li Tung Ping  

He was born around the year of 800 A.D. and was a famous poet and scholar. He loved to write poems, drink wine and had a special feeling for beautiful girls. He led a playboy sort of lifestyle for years. He was known to have mastered nearly all the empty hand and weapons fighting systems. Once in the city of Hang Chou - City of Beautiful Girls and Pretty Lakes, a group of scholars bet him that he could not "have" one of the villager's girls. He took on the bet and found out that the young, beautiful girls was possessed by a very powerful demonic spirit. He tried to exorcise this spirit out of the girl's body in vain. Instead, the demon sucked all the spirit out of his body and one month later he was dying and weak. Half dreaming and half awake, an old friend of his, Han Yang Chi, appeared in his dream and told him that he had done it the wrong way. Han told him not to fight the demon with his Yang Chi training as this particular demon was too old and cunning for that. Instead, use the principle of the Yin Chi training and fight the devil, cold against cold. Li followed his old friend's advice and started fighting this demon with Yin Chi and periodically used Yang Chi as an off guard attacking tactic. It was a long hard fight. His friend, Han, periodically appeared in his dreams and gave him pointers, further coaching him how to fight this sly old demon. Two years had passed before Li completely conquered the demon and exorcised him out of the young girl's body. It was through this fight that Li gained his immortality. In the Eight Immortals fighting techniques, Li represented the element of carefree, flamboyant, and heroic moves.

Han Yang Chi 

He was born in the year of 800 A.D. and was a dear friend of Li Tung Ping. He was intelligent beyond human limits. Once he was thought to be so intelligent that he talked a flower into blooming in the winter. Thus he established the legend that he could talk to plants and animals. No one, however, knew how or when he gained his immortality. He was believed to have gained his immortality at birth. He was able to see the past and foresee the future. In the Eight Immortal fighting system, he represented intelligence - a crystal ball type of vision where you see your opponent's next mover before he executes it.

Chao Kuo Chiu

He was born in the era of 900 A.D. and was a nobleman related in blood to the Emperor Sung Huang Ti. For some strange reason, every so often during the depth of his meditation, the life of a young handsome poet and his friend would vividly "pop" in front of him. It made him re-live or experience the lives of these two people as if they were his own. Thus, he gain the meditative technique of these two people and possessed his immortality. These two people are none other than Li Tung Ping and Han Yang Chi.

Lan Chai He'

He was born around 900 A.D. and was believed to be the strangest of all the Immortals. No one really knew if Lan was a woman or a man. Some believe that he/she was a young tom-boyish girl. At the age of 14, he or she accidentally ate a divine fruit and turned immortal. In the Eight Immortals fighting system, she represented the element of youth and limberness (like an elastic man). The famous "Cotton Fist" Mien Chien of the later date was derived from Lan's fighting system.

He' Shiang Ku 

"He' the fragrant mushroom". He' was born in the year of 800 A.D. He' was recognized by a historian as one of the most beautiful girls of all times. Unfortunately, she was born poor. In order to support her old and helpless parents, He' sold her body and became the most celebrated prostitute in China at that time. She taught herself how to read and write well. One day she dreamed that she had a sexual encounter with a very handsome scholar named Li Tung Ping and gained her immortality through this strange experience. The legend has it that the moment she gained her immortality, a pure white lotus flower grew out of her garment and stayed in bloom though eternity with her. In the Eight Immortal fighting system, she represented the feminine or Yin aspect of the fighting technique.