Cultural Annotations on New Gods: Yang Jian -Part 1-
This is the companion piece to my long-ass thread about the same topic on twitter.
Light Chaser really outdid themselves with the visuals and research this time, and with Yang Jian out in NA theaters, it's totally worth seeing on the big screen.
There were so many historical references packed into this movie, I thought I'd do a deep dive into the characters, motifs and lore associated with Investiture of the Gods scene by scene.
Background
Yang Jian is the second instalment of the New Gods series of animated films (after Nezha Reborn), that are loosely based on the 16th-century Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods (IOTG). IOTG shares some canon with other Chinese classics like Journey to the West, Classic of Mountains and Seas, Lotus Lantern etc. so there may be crossovers.
The character Yang Jian, better known as the god Erlang, is a figure widely regarded as heaven's greatest warrior deity. He is recognized for having a third truth-seeing eye, and in IOTG, helped bring about the fall of the Shang Dynasty in 1046 BC.
The movie however, takes place during the Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern dynasties circa 5th century AD, some 1500 years after events of IOTG. We first meet Yang Jian as a rather lethargic but free-spirited individual, 12 years after losing his powers during a great disaster involving the three realms, scraping by as a bounty hunter.
A rough timeline
c. 1075-1066 BC: Yang Jian is born
c. 1060-1050 BC: Yang Jian cleaves Peach Mountain
1046 BC: Battle of Muye (Conclusion of Investiture of the Gods)
c. 9 BC-23 AD: Erlang defeats Sun Wukong (Journey to the West, Chapter 7 - Havoc in Heaven)
c. 405 AD: Disaster of the Three Realms; Yang Chan is trapped under Mount Hua
c. 417 AD: New Gods: Yang Jian
c. 1920s - c. 1930s: Nezha Reborn
Breakdown
Yang Jian’s crew all have backstories. In Journey to the West, Kang Anyu (康安裕) and Yao Gonglin (姚公麟) are two of Erlang’s six brothers of Plum Mountain, both supreme government officials in charge of military affairs. Maybe we’ll get to find out about the other four’s whereabouts in later instalments?
Xiaotian is Erlang’s dog sidekick who helps him subdue evil spirits and never leaves his side. The movie’s version of Xiaotian seems to be inspired by ancient paintings depicting her as a white hound.
The wanted bulletin printer seems to be inspired by a Hu Shi Ren You (虎噬人卣), a tiger-shaped Ancient Chinese wine vessel.
In Chinese mythology, Penglai is a legendary island for immortals. It has been reimagined to be the equivalent of the CBD of the divine realm.
The dice used in the casino are 18-sided Xing Jiu Ling (行酒令) from the Han Dynasty. It has the numbers 1 to 16, along with the characters for "wine" and "arrogance" engraved in gold and silver. The rat is the first animal of the Chinese Zodiac.
Shunfeng’er (顺风耳), who now goes by Old Gao and works at the casino, was usually accompanied by Qianliyan (千里眼). They are two temple guards whose names translate to “all-hearing” and “all-seeing” that could hear and see things from thousands of miles away.
Light Chaser is serious about its monkey business. The way casino monkey grabbed Yang Jian’s tally with his foot, the big ape miming and even in Nezha Reborn where the little monkey imitated Yunxiang.
Fun fact: The monkey is voiced by Yang Tianxiang, the same actor who voiced Li Yunxiang (Nezha) in Nezha Reborn.
Refresher - Primordial Spirit, known in Chinese as yuanshen (元神), is is a concept in Daoism defined to be a level of existence surpassing that of physical existence. In the New Gods universe, they manifest as giant glowing avatars.
New Gods also has a recurring theme of lost Astras - In Nezha Reborn, Wukong’s staff is nowhere to be found and Yunxiang has only recovered Nezha’s Sky Ribbon so far. Among Erlang’s many Astras, three are mentioned in the movie.
Yang Jian’s headdress is designed to resemble his signature trident, the "three-pointed, double-edged lance". Hence when casino monkey asked him where his weapon was, he clinked the headdress.
This weapon was later shown in a flashback:
Another one of his Astras is a golden bow with silver bullets. According to the director, it was melted into his harmonica (although this was probably retconned as in the teaser for the sequel, it was his mother who gave it to him as a child). The harmonica not only has the powers of his bow, but is also the ignition key for his ship.
The third weapon featured is his mountain-cleaving axe (开山斧). It is the axe he used to split Peach Mountain in half to save Yaoji. He is shown wielding the same axe in the opening montage 1500 years earlier and it is currently wedged inside the Lotus Peak of Mount Hua from the events of 12 years ago. Needless to say it is a powerful Astra with earth-shattering capabilities.
The Four Diablo Brothers - Mo Lihong, Mo Liqing, Mo Lihai, and Mo Lishou - were initially antagonists in IOTG, having launched an attack on the Western Foothills. This led to the introduction of Yang Jian, who helped defeat the brothers.
By the conclusion of the novel, they were enshrined as the Four Heavenly Kings - Vaiśravaṇa, king of yakṣas (多闻天王; Duowen Tianwang), Virūḍhaka, king of kumbhāṇḍas (增长天王; Zengzhang Tianwang), Dhṛtarāṣṭra, king of gandharvas (持国天王; Chiguo Tianwang) and Virūpākṣa, king of nāgas (广目天王; Guangmu Tianwang). In the movie, only Mo Liqing was addressed by his title when Shen Gongbao met him inside the lighthouse.
There's a PSA on the noticeboard with a picture of Nezha pissing. It reads "no urinating or defecating here." This might be a piss (pun intended) at the 2019 animation Ne Zha from a rival studio, and its hilarious promo. The shade 💀
Further supporting my theory that White Snake and New Gods are from the same universe, Precious Jade from White Snake is recruiting!!! And medicine boy plugging his illegal business lol.
Jinxia Cave (金霞洞), lit. Gold Sunset Cave is Yuding’s HQ. It is located on Jade Spring Mountain in the Divine realm.
The little disciple playing the flute is a tribute to the 1963 ink animation “The Bamboo Flute” (牧笛) produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio.
Yuding is one of the many disciples of Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the highest deities of Daoism known as the Primeval Lord of Heaven. Yuding is ranked 10th among the “12 golden disciples”, and among his peers are Jiang Ziya (the main character of IOTG who led the battle against Shang), Taiyi Zhenren (Nezha’s master) and Shen Gongbao etc. They are all practitioners of Chan Daoism, also known as Kunlun Sect, founded by Laozi and Yuanshi Tianzun.
In the tale of the Magic Lotus Lantern, Chenxiang was the son of Yang Chan AKA Goddess San Shengmu AKA the holy mother of Mount Hua AKA Erlang’s sister, and a mortal scholar named Liu Yanchang. This parallels the Yang siblings’ own origin story as the children of a goddess and a mortal.
Chenxiang literally means Agarwood. It is a revered wood valued for its use in incense and traditionally burned during meditation.
The place on Jade Spring Mountain where Yuding sealed the sect brother’s Dharmakaya (the embodiment of the truth itself, a transcendence of the physical and spiritual bodies) is based on the travertine pools in and around Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan. Notably, a scene from Journey to the West, a story associated with Erlang, was once filmed at one of the waterfalls here. I’ve been here and yes, it looks exactly like this irl.
Director: Zhao Ji
Screenwriter: Wang Wei
Starring: Yang Tianxiang / Zhang He / Xuan Xiaoming / Li Shimeng / Zhu Ker / Ling Zhenhe / Liu Ruoban / Zhang Yaohan / Zhang Zhe / Gao Zengzhi / Guo Haoran
Genre: Action / Animation / Fantasy
Country/Region of Production: Mainland China
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Date: 2021-02-12 (Mainland China)
Duration: 116 minutes
Also known as: 新封神:哪吒重生 / New Gods: Nezha Rebirth
IMDb: tt13269670
Type: Reimanging
Summary:
Three thousand years ago, the world was in turmoil, and humans and gods encountered a great catastrophe. Unexpectedly, a ray of Nezha's soul escaped from the net of heaven and earth and was reincarnated. In this life, humans and gods coexisted with Li Yunxiang, a passionate young man in Donghai City who loves motorcycles. However, the Dragon Clan did not let go of its grievances against Nezha. Li Yunxiang, who had the soul of Nezha, could not escape the fate of being driven out and killed by the Dragon Clan. The East China Sea is at stake. Can Li Yunxiang fight side by side with Nezha Yuanshen and become a hero against the dragon clan? Can the people of Donghai City be saved?
"On-site review of the second season of "The Time Agent", the reunion after two years, today is overwhelmed by everyone's enthusiasm❤️ Thanks to the main creators and guests of Shanghai station who were present: the original director @haolin24870493, the voice actor Su Shangqing of Cheng Xiao, the voice actor Yang Tianxiang of Lu Guang, and the voice actor Li Shimeng of Qiao Ling. The second season of "Time Agent" starts from July 14th every Friday at 11:00, and spends the summer time together!"
I've talk about things my elders told me to carry and now we will talk about skeleton keys!
The spiritual meaning of Skeleton Keys specifically symbolize openings, protection, passages, physic abilities, crossroads, doorways, different realms, travel and the veil.
There are multiple divine that line up with keys such as
Hecate
The fae
Portunus
Dionysus
Hermes
Isis
Enodia
Persephone
Bacchus
Cardea
Diana
Forculus
Lima
Limentinus
Janus
Mercury
Proserpina
Terminus
Gná
Heimdall
Hermóðr
Odin,
Užsparinė
Chen Huang Shen
Menshen
Chen Wenlong
Guan Ying
Huang Xie
Ji Shun
Jian Yi
Jiao Ming
Liu Zongyuan
Pang Yu
Qu Tan
Shen Sheng
Su Jian
Te Xuan
Wen Tianxiang
Xiao He
Yang Jianshan
Yao Yichung
Ying Bu
Ying Zhixu
Zhou Ke
Zhu Yigui
Makiubaya
Manduyapit
Jangseung
Munsin
Izanagi
Izanami
Osiris
Legba
Elegua
Agni
Ganesha
Pushan
Dumuzi
Tammuz
Inanna
Ishtar
Attis
{ these aren't all of them }
I was told carrying a key can do multiple things and connect with divine if there need be. It helps make better connection between you and the divine because keys unlock doors but they are also for protection because keys lock doors that you don't want open.
There is lots of superstitions that skeleton keys can unlock any mortal made door, unlock hearts and help travel into different realms. We can even see these superstitions in todays modern media such as Coraline, Alice in wonderland, Pan's labyrinth, and The labyrinth in naming a few.
It's said different colored keys mean different things
Silver keys = physic abilities, protection, peace, love, the moon, purity, clarity, and vision.
Born in 1834, this Chinese Christian had a job as a doctor. He was apparently a pretty swell guy, too, treating the poor in his community for no fee! One time, to treat his own ailment, he used opium. The downside? Welp, he became addicted to opium. Mark Ji knew that his was a bad thing, and he frequently went to Confession so he could get Eucharist while his soul was squeaky clean.
Unfortunately, given that understanding of addiction isn’t what it is now, the priest acting as Mark Ji’s Confessor decided that if he was always confessing the same sin, then he must not really be trying, and told him not to come back until he could say he’d given it up for good. Because he couldn’t do Reconciliation, he didn’t take Eucharist for decades, even though he went to Mass and pushed for his family to do so.
Then came the Boxer Rebellion, an anti-foreign and anti-colonial revolt in China, meant to reject all foreign colonialist elements from the country. The Chinese had enough of colonialist shenanigans from Europe–unfortunately this also meant slaughtering Christians, of European and Chinese origin. On July 7, 1900, Mark Ji and his family were among those who were told they needed to renounce their religion. They refused, and were killed.
Supposedly, Mark Ji died singing the Litany of Our Lady.
So yes, we have a saint who was an opium addict. Beatified in 1946, and canonized in 2000. And he (or rather, a character clearly modeled after him) appears in Gene Luen Yang’s awesome two-volume comic book about the Boxer Rebellion, Boxers & Saints (half of which is dedicated to the Chinese Catholic Community in San Francisco, if I remember correctly?).
If you like the Sha Po Lang audio drama and Cheng Geng’s voice actor (Yang Tianxiang) in particular, you should play Tears of Themis (mobile) because he voices Lu Jinghe (Marius in the English translation) and his date-event just launched, and it’s 100% free to play
Just set your Marius voice to simplified Chinese and you’ll get to hear Yang Tianxiang call you 姐姐 all the time in the most 嗲 way possible
Espèce: Esprit-arbre
Sexe: Féminin
Alignement: Bien
Âge: 21
Taille: 163cm
Yeux: Vert
Personnalité: Elle est douce, gentille et pacifique. Mais parfois colérique et naïve.
Famille:
-Tree Spirits (ancêtres)
-Sandy (père adoptif)
-Ping (frère adoptif)
Alliés: Les Quatre Furies, Shang Long, Sun Wukong, MK et sa team, Ping le panda
Ennemis: Les démons, Scorpion Demoness, Jīng Xiēzi
Aime: La nature, les animaux sauvages, l'environnement, les thés glacés
N'aime pas: La pollution, la déforestation, le braconnage, la destruction
Armes: Qiang (lance)
Habilités: Style de la Mante religieuse, Naturakinésie, Télépathie Animale
Histoire: Duyi Huā est la descendante des esprits des arbres. Elle est recueillie tout bébé par une femelle panda et son petit (Ping) dans la forêt. A l'âge de 10 ans, Duyi perdit sa mère adoptive à cause la déforestation et se retrouve à nouveau orpheline avec Ping. Plus tard, elle et son frère adoptif sont adoptés par Sandy qui les élève comme leurs enfants. A 21 ans, elle entend parler des Quatre Furies et devient fan de Laohu Bing. Duyi découvre dans son rêve qu'elle est la descendante des esprits des arbres, les alliés du Roi Singe.
Espèce: Démone-Scorpion
Sexe: Féminin
Alignement: Mal
Âge: 16
Taille: 157cm
Yeux: Violet Améthyste
Personnalité: Elle est sérieuse, séduisante et têtue.
Famille:
-Scorpion Demoness (mère)
Alliés: Les démons-araignées, Red Son, Macaque, Tai Su
Ennemis: Sun Wukong, MK et sa team, les Quatre Furies, Shang Long
Aime: Les scorpions, les araignées, la musique de rock
N'aime pas: L'insecticide, les insultes
Armes: Un fouet
Habilités: Style du Scorpion, l'Hypnose, Toxikinésie, Umbrakinésie
Histoire: Jīng Xiēzi est la fille de la légendaire Scorpion Demoness. Elle est élevée comme une princesse et se lie d'amitié avec Red Son et ses parents. Elle travaille seul, mais sa mère l'interdit de sortir, car elle est trop jeune pour s'aventurer seule.
Voix: français - Maeva Méline; anglais - Alison Brie; chinois - Li Shimeng
Âge: 17
Taille: 165cm
Yeux: Bleu céleste
Personnalité: Il est naïf, nerveux et compréhensible.
Famille:
-Père inconnu (décédé)
-Neyla Su (décédée)
Alliés: Jīng Xiēzi, Macaque
Rivaux: Les Quatre Furies, Shang Long
Ennemis: Roi des rats
Aime: Faire de la moto, le sport, les félins, sa mère
N'aime pas: l’harcèlement, être un esclave, les rats, les traitres
Armes: Deux lames
Habilités: Aérokinésie, Style du Léopard, les pouvoirs mythiques
Histoire: Tai Su est le fils de l'archéologue, Neyla Su. Enfant, lui et sa mère fessaient des fouilles, où ils rencontrent le jeune Laohu Bing qui vient d'être adopté par Sun Wukong. Tai et Laohu passèrent du bon temps à s'amuser et à s'entrainer ensemble. Des années plus tard, Neyla appelle les Quatre Furies pour aider Tai, qui volé un objet sacré pour le vendre au Roi des rats. Mais peu après l'arrivé de Laohu et de Neyla sur les lieux, celle-ci est mortellement blessé par une flèche empoisonnée. Fou de chagrin, Tai rejette la faute sur son ami d'enfance pour l'avoir fait venir dans le danger. En explorant seul la montagne, il découvre une peau de panthère des neiges à l'autel, il l'enfile et libère un pouvoir mythique. Tai est choisie pour devenir le guerrier-léopard.
Voix: français - Donald Reignoux; anglais - Zach Aguilar; chinois - Yang Tianxiang
New Post has been published on https://china-underground.com/2020/11/25/1490-ching-yang-meteor-shower/
1490 Ch'ing-yang Meteor Shower
1490 Ch’ing-yang Meteor Shower
The Ch’ing-yang event of 1490 (1490 年 慶陽 事件), also known as the Chi-ing-yang meteor shower (Qingyang, 陽 流星 雨), was a presumed meteor shower or air blast that occurred in Qingyang, a county at the time in Shaanxi, but today included in the province of Gansu, in the third lunar month, or between March or April 1490.
Featured image: Illustration of the Ch’ing-yang Meteor Shower
Related articles: The Catastrophic Explosion of Beijing’s Wanggongchang Arsenal, 1626
The event is reported by at least three Chinese annuals as a meteor shower that caused several deaths. To date, it has not been fully confirmed, although that same year, Asian astronomers discovered comet C / 1490 Y1, according to some, a possible progenitor of the meteor shower. This comet would have originated the Quadrantids (QUA), which is an important meteor shower visible in January. Analyzing the Annals of the Korean Joseon Dynasty, it was in fact discovered that it was a periodic comet whose orbital path was very similar to that of the Quadrantid meteor stream.
Chinese annuals describe the event as a shower of stones from the sky. According to these reports, the victims were between ten thousand and a few tens of thousands. One such account is found in the official history of the Ming Dynasty (Míng Shǐ, 明 史), and is generally regarded as a reliable source. This text, however, does not report the number of victims.
According to the Zhongguo gudai tianxiang jilu zongji (Complete Collection of Records of Celestial Phenomena in Ancient China, published by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1988), there are at least a dozen works that discuss the 1490 event, including, in addition to the already cited Ming Shi, also local gazettes and chronicles.
The History of the Ming, however, does not go into particular detail. The text mentions a shower of countless stones of various sizes. The large ones were the size of a goose egg and the smaller ones were the size of the fruit of an aquatic plant.
Other sources report the deaths. A semi-official source says Shaanxi provincial officials sent a report to the central government stating that there had been a shower of stones in Qingyang County. The larger stones measured 4-5 jin and the smaller ones measured 2-3 jin. According to this source, tens of thousands of people perished in the accident. Another source instead mentions that all the inhabitants of a city were forced to evacuate.
Therefore, due to the scarcity of reliable and accurate information, scientists have not so far been able to describe or explain this event effectively, which as far as we know could have been confused with an exceptional hailstorm.
However, Kevin Yau of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory pointed out some similarities with the Tunguska event, which occurred in the skies of Siberia in 1908, causing an explosion at an altitude of about 5-10 km from the terrestrial surface, flattening an estimated 80 million trees over an area of 2,150 km2.
Sources: Wikipedia, Orbital elements of comet C/1490 Y1 and the Quadrantid shower, Meteorite deaths in Qingyang (Ch’ing-yang) in 1490
The Black Troops: The Rule of Burning Sun(2020) 烈阳天道
Director: Sara Ray
Screenwriter: Wei Qi
Starring: Lin Qiang / Yun Hechui / Zhao / Chengchen Wei Qi / Tut Harmon / Yang Tianxiang / Baomu Zhongyang / Liu Cong
Genre: Science Fiction / Animation
Country/Region of Production: Mainland China
Language: Mandarin Chinese
Date: 2020-08-06 (Mainland China)
Duration: 76 minutes
Also known as: The Heroic Soldiers Company: The Way of the Fierce Sun / 雄兵连:烈阳天道 / 雄兵连之烈阳天道
Type: Reimanging
Summary:
This work is the core part of the "Legend of Soldiers" series of works. In this big movie, Sun Wukong appears as the victorious fighting Buddha. A superhero who lives in modern times and fights alien civilizations. What kind of peak showdown will there be between the Sun civilization and Emperor Reina?