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- Shaoxing
Shaoxing or Shoulao is the Daoist star god of longevity. He is represented as an old gentleman with a prominent cranium. He is often depicted carrying a staff, a peach (a symbol of longevity) or a lingzhi fungus (for giving immortality) and sometimes in the company of a bat or a deer (symbols of blessing and rank). He is sometimes depicted with his two associates, the star gods of happiness and wealth.
Xiang Fei
Xiang Fei, known as the Fragrant Princess, was the wife of a Mohammedan chieftain of Sungaria named Ali Arslan. After her husband was killed in a battle with the emperor�s forces, she was brought to Beijing to become the concubine of the Emperor Qianlong (1736-95). Over the years she continually refused the Emperor�s advances, but he continued to be infatuated with her. He even built a mosque near her palace to try to please her. She eventually took her own life rather than submit to him. The Chinese include her among the ��Five Famous Beauties of China� even though she was of alien blood.
Xiwangmu
Xiwangmu, known as the Queen Mother of the West, is often represented carrying emblems of longevity like a peach or a lingzhi fungus
Yang Guifei
Yang Guifei became the consort of the sexagenarian Tang emperor Xuanzong in 745. He was totally infatuated with her and when he was forced to execute her as a result of her part in the An Lushan rebellion, he was heartbroken and abdicated in favour of one of his sons. The story of this imperial romance with its conflict of age and youth, love and duty is one of the most popular subjects in Chinese literature. She has been referred to as the Jade Beauty and her singing and dancing captivated the entire court.
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