Standing figure of Lü Dongbin

Lu Dongbing was a late Tang (618–907) scholar who twice failed his examinations for a first-rank degree (jinshi) and then converted to Daoism. Most of Lu’s portraits depict him with a sword, which he used to defend the righteous. Daoism enjoyed great popularity in the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368); it was then that Lu that gained wide favor as an immortal and was chosen as the titular deity of the Quanzhen sect of Northern Daoiam. The present image of Lu, however, emphasizes his genteel identity as a scholar and a poet.