Xiwangmu, in Daoist mythology of China, queen of the immortals in charge of female genies (spirits) who dwell in a fairyland called Xihua (“West Flower”). Her popularity has obscured Mugong, her counterpart and husband, a prince who watches over males in Donghua (“East Flower”) paradise. Tradition describes the queen as a former mountain spirit transformed into a beautiful woman from a quasi-human with a leopard’s tail and tiger’s teeth. Her fairyland garden was filled with rare flowers, extraordinary birds, and the flat peach (pantao) of immortality.
A Daoist romance relates that during a visit to Wudi, emperor of the Han dynasty, Xiwangmu gave him the famous peach of immortality. He was anxious to bury the stone, but Xiwangmu discouraged him by saying that Chinese soil was not suitable and, in any case, the tree bloomed only once in 3,000 years.
The Hongwu emperor, who was the first Ming emperor (1368–98), was presented with a pantao stone discovered in a treasure house of the previous (Yuan) dynasty. Ten engraved ideographs identified the stone as that given to Wudi by Xiwangmu.
According to Daoist myth, Xiwangmu’s birthday is celebrated by the Baxian (“Eight Immortals”) with a grand banquet during which Xiwangmu serves special delicacies: bear paws, monkey lips, and dragon liver. Pantao are offered as the last course.