Chinese Mythology · Lingnan mythology.
The Five Immortals and the Five Rams
Five immortals arrived on rams bearing ears of rice, which is why Guangzhou is called the City of Rams, or the City of Grain.
Stories and legends
Long ago, Guangzhou suffered famine year after year and the people did not have enough to eat. One day, five immortals each rode a goat of a different colour and descended from the sky carrying ears of grain in their mouths, gave the ears of grain to the local people, and wished that this place would never know famine again. Then the immortals rode away on clouds, and the five goats turned to stone. From then on Guangzhou enjoyed harvests every year, and people called Guangzhou the City of Rams, and also the City of Ears of Grain.
Origins of the story
The verifiable text is that the legend of the five immortals first appears in the Taiping Yulan of the Northern Song, dated 983, which quotes an old account saying that when Sun Hao, ruler of Wu, appointed Teng Xiu as governor of Guangzhou and Teng Xiu had not yet taken up the post, five immortals riding five coloured goats arrived carrying five kinds of grain. Another version appears in Pei Yuans Guangzhou Ji, which has only goats and grain and no immortals, and places the story under Gao Gu of Chu, so the two versions stand side by side as uncertain. The colours of the grain ears and the number of grains also differ between versions, with a five-coloured grain ears reading and a six-grained rice ears reading, standing side by side as uncertain. The historical fact of Guangzhou's founding is that Qin forces built the city of Panyu in 214 BCE, which does not match the date of the legend, and the part about immortals giving grain can only be heard as legend.
Places you can visit
When you visit Mukegong in Yuexiu Park, Guangzhou, you can see the Five Rams Statue built in 1959, carved from more than 130 pieces of granite and standing 11 metres tall, with the main ram holding an ear of grain in its mouth and gazing into the distance, while the four smaller rams graze, nurse, or play. Also in Yuexiu Park, Zhenhai Tower now houses the Guangzhou Museum, and its top floor overlooks the city of Guangzhou. Around Huifu West Road there is also the Temple of the Five Immortals, which holds old traces of the stone goats the five immortals rode. Yuexiu Park is free to enter, and the opening hours of the Temple of the Five Immortals follow the official announcements.
Image source · The Five Rams statue in Yuexiu Park · Gzdavidwong · CC BY-SA 2.5