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| Old Man of the South Pole | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 An ivory carving of Shou Xing from the Ming period | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 南極老人 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 南极老人 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Old Man of the South Pole | ||||||
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TheOld Man of the South Pole (Chinese &Japanese:南極老人), also called theOldImmortal of the South Pole (Chinese:南極仙翁),Xian of Longevity (Chinese:壽仙), orStar of Longevity (壽星;shòuxīng), is theTaoistdeification ofCanopus, the brightest star of the constellationCarina. He is typically portrayed with long white hair and beard, a protruding forehead and a healthy pink complexion. His right hand often holds apeach and left hand a walking staff with acalabash gourd, which is said to contain theelixir of life. He can also be portrayed as riding acrane or adeer, often accompanied by disciples.[1]
He is one of the symbols of happiness andlongevity inFar Eastern culture.
The Old Man of the South Pole is often depicted in Chinese pictures as an old man with a long white beard with a deer by his side. This style of picture is related to the story of an emperor of theNorthern Song dynasty, who had invited such an old man from the street and later considered the old man as the sign of his longevity.[citation needed] In certain Chinese salvationist religions such asYiguandao, he is responsible for the initiation of the Tao to the beings from theDeva realm.
In Chinese, the star Canopus is usually called the Star of the Old Man (老人星) or the Star of the Old Man of the South Pole (南極老人星). Since Carina is a Southern constellation, Canopus is rarely seen inNorthern China and, if seen in good weather, looks reddish lying near the southern horizon. Because thecolor red is the symbol of happiness and longevity in China, Canopus is also known in China and the neighboring countries of Korea, Japan, and Vietnam as the Star of Old Age (壽星) or the Star of the Man of the Old Age (壽老人). In Japan, it becameJurōjin (壽老人), one of theSeven Gods of Fortune (七福神).
According to legend, the Old Man of the South Pole was once a sickly boy named Zhao Yen who had been predicted to die when he was 19 years old. He was therefore advised to visit a certain field and to bring with him a jar of wine and dried meat. In that field, he would find two men intent on playing checkers under a tree. He should offer them wine and meat, but should avoid answering their questions. Zhao Yen followed the advice and when the two men had consumed the meat and the wine, they decided to thank him by exchanging the figures of his life expectancy from 19 to 91 years. Later he was told that one of the two men was thestar of the North Pole, which fixes the date of birth of the men, and the other the star of the South Pole, which fixes the date of death.
In the novelInvestiture of the Gods, as the eldest disciple ofYuanshi Tianzun, the Old Man of the South Pole descended to helpKing Wu in his attack against the deityYin. From the novel, his disciple is said to beXianhe Tongzi, the "white crane boy" (白鶴童子).[2]
InJourney to the West, the Old Man of the South Pole's mount, a white deer, once escaped to the nether world to become a demon (orYaoguai). It was later defeated by the monkey kingSun Wukong and taken back by the Old Man.
According to folklore legends, the white snake spiritBai Suzhen once went to the cave of the Old Man of the South Pole to steal medicinal herbs.
The poetDu Fu has also made mention of the Old Man in his poem《泊松滋江亭》: "今宵南極外，甘作老人星".
