Shi Huangdi search for immortality

Mount Penglai - Mount of Immortals
Source: wikimedia commons

Immortality obsessed many powerful rulers - China first emperor Shi Huangdi wasn't here exception. When he succeed in uniting Chine for first time in history, he started to be obsessed with immortality. Surviving numerous assassination attempts he was now perfectly guarded but still aware that he is mortal. According to legend on Mount Peglai located on:

"(...) a mountainous archipelago in the Yellow Sea where immortality, or a means of obtaining it, was reputed commonplace." Source: Keay, J. China: A History, Kindle edition, p. 103

Shi Huangdi visit the Zhifu Island on Bohai Sea three times in order to find Elixir of Life. When failed he send Taoist Xu Fu with several hundreds boys and girls in search of paradise but they never returned - see below description from John Keay book:

Saint Brendan and Garden of Edens

Saint Brendan and the whale
from a 15th-century manuscript
Source: wikimedia commons

Quest for Gardens of Eden had been always temptation  for adventurers. One of the earliest was Saint Brendan whose feast day was celebrated last Friday (May 16th). Saint Brendan nick name is "the Navigator" as per his legendary travels described in "Navigatio sancti Brendani abbatis" ("Voyage of Saint Brendan the Abbot"). Saint Brendan was born in Tralee in south-west corner of Ireland around 484 AD. He was baptised by Saint Erc and later ordained as priest in 512 AD. Since then he sailed around Islands surrounding Ireland and founding monasteries. The best known was Clonfert in Galeway. This voyages temptate him to risk more far away travel - to search for Garden of Eden:

"Saint Brendan travel to an Island, that he described as being Garden of Eden. He claimed that Garden Of Eden was an mountain that was hidden behind some clouds." Source: Decoding The Past Mysteries Of The Garden Of Eden, Youtube 

Golden cows

Golden cows statues erected outside an office block
in Beijing in preparation for
the Chinese Spring Festival 2009Source: DailyMail

I would like to start this week post with short explanation why I switch so unexpectedly from Crusades/European topic to Ancient China. Explanation is that I decided to go for this year holiday to China so I want to be also better prepared. For this I start reading John Keay "China: A History".
Last week my attention was dragged about story of great-great-great-grandfather of famous first China Emperor Shi Huangdi - king Huiwen of Qin. His attention was dragged by reach, fertile land of silk and money