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an educational thread of the chinese cultural and historical influences in genshin impact; pls rt to share if u can!
disclaimer before we begin; i am chinese, but i wasn’t raised in china. i may be wrong on some things so please let me know and i’ll correct my mistakes. starting off w the liyue outfits:
zhongli’s outfit may appear confusing to most people (and it is), but there are some elements of his clothing that relate to his character;
on his thumb, zhongli wears what appears to be a 扳指 (cont-)
on his thumb, zhongli wears what appears to be a 扳指 (cont-)
bān zhǐ, a type of thumb ring used in china to protect the thumb during archery. it can be crafted from all sorts of materials, however zhonglis looks like it’s made of ivory
zhongli having this thumb ring could mean that he is capable of archery, as this is the sole purpose of the ring. rings on the thumbs can also symbolise status power (emperor, prince) and may be a reference to him being rex lapis
the meteor used in his ult is not just a rock, it’s actually a 鲁班锁, luban lock. it’s a traditional chinese educational toy, and has existed for centuries. (in the lore, guizhong gifts zhongli the toy and challenges him to open it, bc all her wisdom is stored inside it)
ningguang’s outfit is very well designed, and has a slight qipao look to it. but i want to talk ab her accessories, her hairpin and the nail guards on her hands, bc they really add to her character (rich sexy geo lady huhu)
the hairpin looks like a zan zi, a long needle like pin used to hold up hair in ancient china. you can see it in a lot of cdramas, where women of high power will have more intricate hairpins
ive seen a lot of people confused ab her nail guards; they’re called 指甲套, or zhijiatao, and were popularised in the qing dynasty. women wore them to show off their wealth and power, as people in ancient china with long nails meant they didn’t need to do labour work
keqing’s clothing has a lot of peacock attributes, and the upper body of her dress looks like it pays homage to the qipao, a traditional chinese dress. in an ancient chinese text (yi jing), the peacock is associated with culture, dignity and grace
中国结 [zhōngguójié]
appears on a lot of liyue character clothes, usually on their visions. these knots are a form of art in china, and are typically woven with silk, cord or rope. the history of chinese knots dates back to the tang dynasty era (cont-)
appears on a lot of liyue character clothes, usually on their visions. these knots are a form of art in china, and are typically woven with silk, cord or rope. the history of chinese knots dates back to the tang dynasty era (cont-)
most characters have a san ye jie, or a pan chang knot. ganyu’s vision looks like its held by a san ye jie, or a clover knot. this symbolises luck, and is a nice homage to the qilin symbolising prosperity, success, longevity.
speaking of the qilin; zhongli’s ‘exuvia’ is not a dragon, it’s a half qilin half dragon creature, described in the chinese text of the game as 半麟. qilins (麒麟 qílín) are mythical creatures in chinese history, and symbolise protection, prosperity and good luck
qilins are very gentle creatures, and it’s said that when they walk, they take care to not tread on living things. when walking on grass they don’t trample on it. they will only act out if someone is behaving wickedly.
since ganyu is a half qilin, i think this emodies her personality quite well. she is soft spoken, kind and benevolent. zhonglis qilin half speaks for his personality as well, as he is someone who is kind and soft at heart, but can be fierce when he has to
the dragon (龙) half of zhonglis exuvia can also be used to explain his personality; dragons in chinese culture are powerful, and symbolise strength. zhongli is a skilled fighter, and is shown to be able to wipe out mass numbers of enemies alone
genshin references the classical chinese literature piece 水浒传 (shuǐhǔ zhuàn), or ‘water margin’. su er’niang is a parody (??) of the character sun er’niang, a tavern owner who is a part of the 72 earthly fiends. she ranks 67th, and is said to be a fierce woman
basically, in the book sun er’niang and her husband run their inn, where they drug customers, rob them and cook them into meat buns. su er’niang in game sells mora meat, which resembles chinese meat buns. so you can guess where im going w this one,,,
in chinese folklore there is a creature called the 僵尸, jiǎngshī. it’s a hopping zombie, and usually wears clothes from the qing dynasty. qiqi is actually a jiangshi, and her hat and braid are references to this
ill also quickly cover the traditional chinese instruments used in the liyue battle soundtrack:
gǔzhēng: horizontal with strings, played with finger guards
pipa: four stringed and pear shaped
dizi: chinese flute
gǔzhēng: horizontal with strings, played with finger guards
pipa: four stringed and pear shaped
dizi: chinese flute
you can check out these instruments in action here : https://genshin.mihoyo.com/en/news/detail/5328
thats it for now, let me know if there’s anything else i can add or make a second thread of! here are all my other chinese genshin threads https://twitter.com/i/events/1386899974667993088
