paper and fabric depiction of Li T’ieh-kuai

Li T’ieh-kuai

lost his body and had to borrow a beggar’s. He was so famous that he was frequently summoned to the celestial regions to administer to the needs of the gods. During one such visit, leaving his body in the care of his faithful disciple, Lang Ling, he was absent longer than usual, so Lang Lin burned his body, assuming that he was dead. On returning to earth, Li T’ieh-kuai was embarrassed and consternated that he had no body to enter. The only abandoned body that he could find was of a lame beggar in the nearby wood. He is represented as a beggar with an iron crutch carrying on his back an urn filled with magic medicine