Who is the historical prototype of Jigong?

Jigong, a lovely artistic image of playing the fool and saving the world and people, has been active in people's minds for hundreds of years. In the Luohan Hall of famous temples such as Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, there are also special statues of his broken fan and smile for pilgrims to worship and tourists to watch. However, Mr. Jiang Ruizao, a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, said in Textual Research on Novels: "In fact, there was no surname in the early Southern Song Dynasty, but it was a false biography because of the interpretation of Baozhi in the Six Dynasties." Baozhi is famous in the history of Buddhism in China, but there are few handed down materials about him. According to the Records of Baohua Mountain and Notes on China, Baozhi (about 4 18-5 15) was born in Dongyang Town, Jurong North Township. When he was born, his face was fine, but his limbs were deformed like bird's claws. His parents are afraid that he can't live like a normal person in the future. At the age of 7, he was sent to Nanjing Daolin Temple to run away from home. According to legend, he returned to his hometown to build a house, and took Huashan, his hometown, as buddhist nun, and set up a wide Dojo, which provoked Liang Wudi to come from Nanjing to visit him, and also hosted a banquet for him to entertain monks who came from all directions to worship. So Huashan was moved by Baozhi and became famous in one fell swoop. Later generations added the word "Bao" in front of the mountain name "Huashan", which is still in use today. [www.wyrj.com, click to enter] During the Qing Dynasty, people found an iron box in Nanjing Dahongzhi, which contained the "Bao Zhi Shuo Jie Tu" painted by the painter Liang Shi. Prior to this, the history books always believed that Xuanzu of Zhong Nanshan in Tang Gaozong period was the first monk to set up a Buddhist altar in China. In fact, Baozhi set up the Buddhist altar 130 years earlier than Xuanzu. Bao Zhi was buried in Dulong House, Zijingshan, Nanjing after her death. In front of the tomb is a portrait of Zhi Gong painted by Wu Daozi, a great painter in the Tang Dynasty, poems praised by Li Bai and regular script copied by Yan Zhenqing, a great calligrapher. The three-in-one tombstone is called "Three Monuments".