The Peach & Immortality
Mythology & Folklore

In Chinese mythology, Peaches of Immortality are consumed by the immortals due to their mystic virtue of conferring longevity on all who eat them. Peaches symbolizing immortality (or the wish for a long and healthy life) are a common symbol in Chinese art, appearing in depictions or descriptions in a number of fables, paintings, and other forms of art, often in association with thematically similar iconography, such as certain deities or immortals or other symbols of longevity, such as deer or cranes.

Historically the peach was a symbol of immortality. This belief was brought over to Japan from China. There is a Chinese story of a man named Mu Wang, the Emperor of the Chou Dynasty who visited the Goddess, Hsi Wang Mu, in her western garden. In the garden grew the tree which bore the Peach of Immortality. The peaches were said to only ripen every 3,000 years. The peach can also be seen being carried by various other dieties throughout east Asian artwork.