In Strange Tales from Liaozhai: Su Xian(Su Immortal or Fairy Su), a woman surnamed Su from Chenzhou, Hunan, washes clothes by a river when she sees mystical green moss coils around the huge stone she is standing on. She later discovers she is pregnant.
To preserve her chastity, she refuses marriage and raises the child secretly in a locked chest. As the boy grows, he reveals his divine nature: “I am no mortal — I must leave to spare you trouble. Open this chest in need.”
Su endures poverty and isolation, relying on provisions magically appearing in the chest. When her mother dies, funeral items manifest within it. Decades later, neighbors witness Su seated motionless in her home as colorful clouds descend. A woman in celestial robes — Su herself — hovers above the house before ascending to heaven. Her divine son appears, arranges her funeral, and plants two peach trees by her grave. These trees later bear giant, sweet peaches known as “Su Xian peaches”(Fairy Su’s Peaches).
Allegorical Meaning
Chastity and Sacrifice as Sacred Duty
Su’s choice — bearing societal shame to raise a fatherless child — elevates Confucian female virtues to spiritual heights. Her isolation symbolizes the social ostracization faced by unwed mothers, yet her unwavering devotion reframes “shame” as holy maternal resilience. The chest becomes a metaphor for hidden strength — society locks women in boxes, but virtue breaks free.
Daoist Destiny: Mortal Womb, Divine Child
The moss-induced pregnancy echoes Daoist “immaculate conception” tropes. The son’s supernatural powers — providing sustenance and orchestrating Su’s ascension — signify that destiny transcends human constraints. His hybrid nature (half-mortal, half-celestial) challenges rigid social hierarchies: holiness blooms in the marginalized.
Filial Piety Beyond Death
Though divine, the son fulfills Confucian filial piety meticulously:
- Sustaining his mother through poverty (chest miracles),
- Honoring her in death (solemn funeral),
- Eternalizing her legacy (peach trees).
This reinforces that piety binds all beings — even gods obey its laws.
Nature as Karmic Mirror
The miraculous peach trees embody Daoist harmony between virtue and nature:
- Their fruit symbolizes sweetness born of bitterness (Su’s suffering),
- Their size reflects magnitude of her sacrifice,
- Their fame (“Su Xian peaches”) proves that true immortality lies in earthly remembrance, not just celestial ascent.
Cultural Resonance
Subverting Female Marginalization: Su’s ascension (not damnation) for unwed motherhood critiques Qing-era misogyny. Her apotheosis declares: a woman’s worth transcends marital status.
Daoist Integration: The story merges Confucian ethics (chastity, filial duty) with Daoist transcendence — suggesting moral rigor is the path to sainthood.
Peaches of Immortality: In Chinese lore, peaches grant longevity (e.g., Queen Mother of the West’s orchard). Here, they are both reward and testament: virtue literally bears fruit.
- The Theft of a Peach: Street magicians and the paradox of survival.
- Sun Wukong and the stolen peaches: In Journey to the West, the theft of the Peaches of Immortality from the Heavenly Orchard is a pivotal episode.
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