“The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea” (Bā Xiān Guò Hǎi 八仙过海), the Eight Immortals have been making rather too merry and, their minds clouded by wine, they decide to journey forth to discover all the wonders of the undersea realms that are not found at home in Heaven. (Today the expression “Eight Immortals cross the sea” can refer to each member of a group making a distinctive contribution to their collective success, but it can also refer to each of them being left to his own devices, or to each one working to outshine the others.)