Are the eight immortals unpopular among the Chinese common man?

[Oolong Rabbit]

I have been trying to find a brass statue of Immortal Li for almost year now. I have combed every store in Toronto's china town, looked at all the online feng shui sites, and have a search filter on ebay. So far... nothing. What I have noticed is that most Chinese seem more interested in wealth gods and deified heroes like Guan Gong and Zhong Kui than the eight immortals. Does anyone understand why this is so? Beings like Zhong Kui strike me more as a hungry ghost than an immortal.

[hyok]

Just make one. Or contract a poor, starving sculptor to create one. I doubt you're going to find anything genuine created by a Taoist artist with any kind of merit. I'm positive they exist but are in private collections and are not for sale.

[Friend]

Edited November 16, 2011 by Friend

[Sloppy Zhang]

I dunno, what are the chances that you can comb American antique stores and find a brass statue of Johny Appleseed or Paul Bunyan?

[de_paradise]

The Chinese have so many gods and deities and buddhas, give them a break. Who do we have? Jesus and Mary? Maybe a cherub. Everyone else is chopped liver I guess. What a state of affairs. Make your own, or if you want have it painted as an oil painting. I'm pretty sure the immortal will appreciate it, even though he has no ego.

[Oolong Rabbit]

Then I have a idea,

 

which someone handcrafted from wood it for me. It is a monkey on horse holding a peach.

Something like this

http://www.fengshuibestbuy.com/SL10402-horse.html

 

Have you try to contact a craftsman in your city?

 

About Immortal Li, he is someone who may be an immortal but he also stand for the loss and bad luck who has give up things to become an immortal.

 

http://taoism.about.com/od/eightimmortals/a/TaiguaiLi.htm

 

A secure lucky happy life is what a standard human wish for so you.

A other source you may try is to ask in Taoist Monastry... the tought

of the face they pull I want to see. Maybe one find more then a brass statue....

 

Q

 

Hey friend,

 

I understand the perceived "negative" side of immortal li, but I have some affinities with him. I don't need anything fancy, or antique. I am looking for a lost wax brass casting, or possibly a decent ceramic. Unfortunately there are no taoist temples near me.