China Ming Dynasty Hanfu Relics<大红色四兽朝麒麟纹妆花纱女袍>,Collection of Shandong Museum,China
Ming Dynasty Emperor Wanli bestowed Japan Toyotomi Hideyoshi's robe(赐服)<赤地云龙纹斗牛袍>
China Ming Dynasty Hanfu Relics<大紅雲肩通袖麒麟圓領>
China Ming Dynasty Hanfu Relics:<红色妆花纱云肩通袖膝襕蟒袍>,Confucius Museum,China
China Ming Dynasty Portrait of Kong Hongxu/孔弘绪, the 61st generation of Yansheng Gong (descendant of Confucius)
[Hanfu・漢服]Chinese Ming Dynasty(1368-1644 AD)Traditional Clothing Hanfu Photoshoot
亦男亦女
【About 赐服/Cì fú in Ming Dynasty】
<赐服/Cì fú> is a kind of clothing system. The imperial court rewarded meritorious men or woman with crowns and clothes to show their favor. Its system is complicated and diverse, there are “four-season clothes/四時衣", five-season clothes/五時衣” or Gesha/葛纱 and mink according to the seasons; there are Gongfu/公服 and flowers according to the seasons; etc. The clothes bestowed are usually higher than the rank of the recipient.
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Five-season clothes/五時衣:Attire of five different colors worn in five seasons in ancient times.
Four-season clothes/四時衣:Different Attire worn in four different seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter
Gesha/葛纱:Gauze woven from kudzu fiber.
Gongfu/公服:one of the official attire
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Clothing is a daily need, but because it is the emperor's reward that endows the meaning of class, it has become a symbol of the imperial class and the emperor's favor. Use highly recognizable patterns on the clothing to show status and class, making clothing a channel for "showing off wealth". Anyone who can wears <赐服/Cì fú>is a courtier who is valued by the emperor.
The <赐服/Cì fú> of the Ming Dynasty are divided into four levels:Qilin robe(麒麟服),DouNiu robe(斗牛服), Feiyu robe(飛魚服), python robe(蟒服)
The Fourth-Class is Qilin robe(麒麟服):
The qilin (Chinese: 麒麟) is a legendary hooved chimerical creature that appears in Chinese mythology, and is said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a sage or illustrious ruler.Qilin are a specific type of the lin mythological family of one-horned beasts. The qilin also appears in the mythologies of other Chinese-influenced cultures.
Because the Qilin is a beast of benevolence and righteousness in the legend, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty regarded the Qilin robe as a gift and rewarded meritorious officials of the fourth and fifth ranks. Although Embroidered Uniform Guard(錦衣衛)on-duty guards are not high-ranking officials, they are also allowed to wear Qilin robe(麒麟服) because of their special positions.
The Third-Class is DouNiu robe(斗牛服):
DouNiu(斗牛) is not an ordinary bull(公牛), but a legendary horned dragon(虬龙). The DouNiu(斗牛) is like a dragon with sharp horns, a python-shaped fish tail, and two horns bent like ox horns.Those who can be awarded DouNiu robe(斗牛服) include officials of the third rank and above, generals who have made meritorious service in guarding the frontier, and people who have received special rewards. There are also examples of officials or celebrity families being rewarded with DouNiu robe(斗牛服), but these are exceptional and rare. DouNiu(斗牛) was originally a star in the sky, so the recipient thinks that he has received great glory.
The Second-Class is Feiyu robe(飛魚服):
The prototype of the Feiyu(飛魚/Flying fish) is the 文鳐鱼(a legendary fish with wings) in the "山海经/Classic of Mountains and Seas", which evolved into a python-shaped flying fish in the late Ming Dynasty.
↓文鳐鱼(a legendary fish with wings) in the"山海经/Classic of Mountains and Seas"
The image of the flying fish in the Ming Dynasty has two horns on the dragon's head and no wings on the fins, retaining the characteristic of the rolled tail.
Feiyu(飛魚/Flying fish) robe are generally rewarded to meritorious officials of the second rank or above,High-ranking eunuchs lead, and Embroidered Uniform Guard(錦衣衛). However, not all Embroidered Uniform Guard(錦衣衛) are eligible to wear flying fish robe, only the commanders of Embroidered Uniform Guard(錦衣衛), the emperor's personal school lieutenant and the guard of honor accompanying the emperor, these powerful confidantes of the emperor are eligible to wear them.
The Highest-Class is Python robe(蟒服):
The highest level of <赐服/Cì fú>in the Ming Dynasty was python robe(蟒服), second only to the dragon robe worn by the emperor. The python pattern is very similar to the dragon pattern, the only difference is that the dragon has five claws and the python has four claws. Python robe(蟒服) are generally only awarded to 司礼监's eunuchs, ministers of the cabinet(内阁辅政大臣), ministers and counselors of the Ministry of War(兵部尚书参赞), and princes and heads of foreign vassals. Adding a Python robe(蟒服) represents prosperity and wealth. A jade belt is required to wear the python robe(蟒服), and there are two types: sitting python(坐蟒) and moving python(行蟒). In terms of dignity, sitting pythons are higher rank than walking pythons.
※司礼监:is an eunuch in charge of the emperor's documents, seals, palace etiquette, etc.
today, i wanna talk about this point that i've referenced a couple times across my yrzx fics:
For the fate of the world, Wang Ye relinquished his days of peace and tranquility. To save Zhuge Qing’s life, Wang Ye could sacrifice everything beneath the heavens. (from 岁月不待人 | the moon and the tides, you and i)
i'll start during Beijing arc, when ZCL asks why WY doesn't just give up Feng-hou Qimen to the ppl who want it.
in the manhua (ch. 185) & donghua (s3, ep. 3), WY's response is vague: "for various reasons, i can't give out [that power]."
(note that the dialogue differs slightly btwn these two adaptations, but the meaning is the same)
but in the live-action (s1, ep. 22), WY clearly explains that "it would throw the ways of this world into greater disorder. this calamitous fate must be shouldered by me alone."
these lines perfectly demonstrate one of WY's most defining traits: 心怀天下 / a heart that cradles everything beneath the heavens.
we see it first during the tournament arc, when WY admits to ZCL that he didn't need to get involved in this mess—but did so anyway because the fate of the world was implicated.
WY: Actually, whatever happens to you all has nothing to do with me. No matter how terrible the world ends up, I can still protect myself and my family and keep us unscathed. So, actually, I shouldn't have come here.
[...]
ZCL: What you mean is that if I continue my investigation, the future of this world may very likely develop in a bad direction. Daozhang, who this "bad future" impacts isn't limited to only me, right? The two of us are neither kin nor kith; you wouldn't have come to get caught up in these troubled waters because of me, right?
WY: This, involves another concept. I call it the weight of fate. [...] And you, Zhang Chulan, you hold a high ratio of that weight. Your choice will change the fates of many, many people. (LA s1, ep. 14; see also manhua chs. 121-122 & donghua s2, ep. 12)
this is the extent of WY's selflessness. and as his conversation w ZCL continues, something else is revealed to us.
ZCL: The you who could have stayed out of this matter entirely chose instead to come here and persuade me. Did you also not choose the future that would have been best for you? (LA s1, ep. 14)
that 'something' is none other than WY's conduct: 明知山有虎,偏向虎山行 / knowing full well the mountains harbor tigers, yet insisting on traveling deep into the mountains anyway. or, in other words, the practice of forging on into promised danger.
which, coincidentally, is exactly how WY praised Zhuge Liang's character during his match against ZGQ.
可他却放弃了作为一个修者该坚守的一切。就算逆大势而行,也要投身到乱世当中,只为了去救那个明知已无可救药的天下。/ But he chose to give up everything that a cultivator should uphold and protect. Even if it meant opposing the momentum of the times, he threw himself utterly into chaos of the mortals—all to save a world he knew full well was beyond redemption.
为了那个天下情愿去和天理和大势对抗 / For that world, he was willing to hold off divine order and destiny itself.
明知不可为而为,这就是他那个级别的术士作为。/ To do something knowing full well of its impossible nature—this was the practice of a sorcerer of his caliber. (LA s1, ep. 13; see also manhua ch. 110 & donghua s2, ep. 10)
with such a heart of compassion (怜悯之心, HMH's words) and sense of responsibility, WY is unlike anyone else in his generation. instead, it can be argued that the character most similar to WY is in fact one of his seniors, lao-Tianshi.
they are, at least in the LA, the only two 麒麟 in the story after all (s1, eps. 8 & 20):
and just like lao-Tianshi, it's easy to think of WY as a saint (圣人) or a god—something "above" mortal humans. he's operating on a scale (格局) far greater than anyone else in our main cast; WY is always taking the whole world into consideration, even if that's the choice least favorable to him.
(LA s1, ep. 23)
and then Beijing arc happens. and by the end of it, WY has an epiphany:
“The me who has always avoided involvement with worldly affairs has no right to speak of leaving them behind.” (manhua ch. 196; see also LA s1, ep. 23 & donghua s3, ep. 7)
he's begun to have a reckoning with his own human-ness. he's starting to realize that he's fallible, that he's ordinary and secular, that he has attachments—and, importantly, that he wants attachments. that he desires companionship (just as humans are wont to do).
and it's with that moment of enlightenment that we dive into Biyou Village arc.
because, overall, WY has not actually changed that much. he still feels responsible for the peace and safety of the world; he still wants to figure out how ZCL and FBB are related to the Jiashen Calamity. he still remembers clearly what Hong-ye said: "you are the chosen one." (LA s1, ep. 4)
and even ZGQ himself remarks (manhua ch. 228; see also donghua s4, ep. 5):
yet when ZGQ's safety is at stake, WY doesn't hesitate for even a moment:
(donghua s4, ep. 5; see also manhua ch. 228)
that is not the conduct of someone who always thinks about the bigger scheme of things. that's the conduct of someone making a choice for himself, an arguably selfish choice, to save his friend and doom everyone else.
WY would sooner give up his Feng-hou Qimen and restart the Jiashen Calamity than see ZGQ in danger. that is how important ZGQ is to WY.
在王也的心中,诸葛青的命比天下苍生还重要。/ in Wang Ye's heart, Zhuge Qing's life is more important than everyone in beneath the heavens.
and that's because ZGQ is the first of his generation to approach him. to make an effort to befriend him. to look beyond the power he possesses and also see him.
(LA s1, ep. 15; see also manhua ch. 131 & donghua s2, ep. 14)
in other words, it was ZGQ who made WY's godlike love for the world human. WY is no longer an outside viewer looking down on the plane he feels beholden to; WY is a part of this secular world, and that is why he should want to protect it.
because the red dust realm is where ZGQ exists. here is where their bond exists.
(unrelated pic from manhua ch. 196; see also donghua s3, ep. 7)
tldr: Wang Ye places the world before himself, and Zhuge Qing before the world.
—
all this to say, i really am excited for s2 of the live-action, even though the casting rumors have been disheartening. Biyou Village arc is a climactic chapter for YeQing, so i hope the adaptation does it justice.
How many kingdoms and realms exist in JTTW, could you give us a short explanation of these please? I understand there are like three realms according to Chinese mythology
How many kingdoms and realms exist in JTTW, could you give us a short explanation of these please?
There are many kingdoms that are visited in Xiyouji on their path, but I cannot say how many were during the Tang dynasty in general, you might wanna do some personal research for that case
The dragon prince was spared from death and banished to Yingchou Stream (鷹愁澗) in Shepan Mountain (蛇盤山), in the region that belongs to the Hamil Kingdom of the western barbarians.
Zhu Bajie found in Gao village and find that a daughter kidnapped in the the territory of the Kingdom of Qoco.
Yellow Robe Demon (黃袍怪) is based in Moon Waves Cave (波月洞) on Bowl Mountain (碗子山) in the Kingdom of Baoxiang (寶象國)
The Lion-Lynx Demon (獅猁怪) is actually the Azure Lion (青毛獅子), the steed of the bodhisattva Manjusri. He drowns the king of Wuji Kingdom (烏雞國) and took his position.
The Immortal of Tiger Power (虎力大仙), Immortal of Elk Power (鹿力大仙), and Immortal of Antelope Power (羊力大仙) are three demons who disguise themselves as Taoist magicians to deceive the ruler of the Kingdom of Chechi (車遲國).
The Ruler of Women's Country (女兒國國王) is the ruler of a nation in Xiliang (西梁) in Western Liang Kingdom with an all-female population in Women's Country (女兒國).
The Wansheng Dragon King (萬聖龍王) is based in Emerald Waves Lake (碧波潭), Rocky Mountain (亂石山), Kingdom of Jisai (祭賽國). He marries his daughter, Wansheng Princess, to the Nine-Headed Beast.
Sai Tai Sui (賽太歲; literally "Equivalent to Tai Sui") is a demon king based on Qilin Mountain (麒麟山) in the Kingdom of Zhuzi (朱紫國). He is actually the Golden Haired Hou (金毛犼), the steed of Guanyin.
The White Deer Spirit (白鹿精) is actually the mount of the deity Old Man of the South Pole (南極老人). He stole his master's staff and escaped into the human world. He accepts the White-Faced Vixen Spirit (白面狐狸精), a female Fox spirit, as an adopted-daughter, disguises her as a beautiful maiden, and presents her to the ruler of the Kingdom of Biqiu (比丘國).
The Ruler of the Kingdom of Miefa (滅法國; "Miefa" literally means "destroy dharma") hates Buddhists and once made an oath to slaughter 10,000 Buddhist monks. He realizes that he has done wrong in persecuting Buddhist monks so he repents and renames his domain "Kingdom of Qinfa" (欽法國; "Qinfa" literally means "respect for dharma").
The Grand Saint of Nine Spirits (九靈元聖) is actually the Nine-Headed Lion that Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun rides on. The lion seizes the opportunity to escape. He builds his base at the Jiuqu Panhuan Cave (九曲盤桓洞) at Bamboo Links Mountain (竹節山) near the Kingdom of Yuhua (玉華國).
The Jade Rabbit Spirit (玉兔精) is actually the moon rabbit that pounds a mortar and pestle in Guanghan Palace (廣寒宮) on the Moon. The fairy Su'e (素娥) once hit her and she bore a grudge against her. Su'e was later reincarnated as a princess of a Great Kingdom of India (天竺).
Su'e hid in the Monastery of the Anathapindika Garden in the Kingdom of Sravasti.
Honorary mention: Surya Kingdom is the place where the sun sets, and that's why its popular name is 'The Edge of Heaven.' During the time of late afternoon each day, the king will send people up to the battlements to beat the drums and blow the bugles, in order to dilute and weaken the sound of the sea boiling. (mentioned by Bajie)
Honorary mention: In years past, barbaric tribes of all four quarters came to pay us tribute: to the south, the Yuetuo Kingdom, to the north, the Qoco Kingdom; to the east, the State of Western Liang; and to the west, the Benbo Kingdom. (mention by Kingdom of Jisai).
Honorary mention: The state, Flowing Sand, was my ancestral home. My father was Flowing Sand Kingdom's king. Illness plagued me at the time of youth, A victim of a baleful natal star. (mentioned by Yellow Brows Demon).
Honorary mention: The spot releasing black vapors over there is the Lion-Camel Kingdom. (only called kingdom once by Sun Wukong).
Honorary mention: Master, my home is located in the Bimbana Kingdom, some two hundred miles from here. (mentioned by Lady Earth Flow.)
I understand there are like three realms according to Chinese mythology
There are three domains in the cosmos — Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld — and each domain is populated by a host of important gods and goddesses. The Heavenly Domain is ruled by the Jade Emperor, who presides over a court of important deities who are worshipped throughout China. Three Realms (三曹) – the belief that Heaven, the living and the deceased exist side by side; heaven is a place for saints or rested souls, the Underworld for the criminous deceased. Three wun seven pak (三魂七魄) explains a person's existence. The three realms is where a person exists, and the seven states are what makes a person exist.
Also suggest reading JTTW's article with just how Xioyuji uses these domains in regard to the 36 heavens and the 18 hells as well.
accompanied by my realms question, are the six realms something canon in JTTW or are the six realms something completely separate from JTTW and considered a different religion than the three realms mentioned in JTTW?
The Six Realms in Buddhist cosmology are the six worlds where sentient beings are reincarnated based on their karma, which is linked to their actions in previous lives. These paths are depicted in the Bhavacakra ("wheel of existence"). The six paths are
Hell (地獄道)
The Hungry Ghosts or pretas (餓鬼道)
The Beasts (畜生道)
Humans (人道)
The Titans or Asuras (修羅道)
Heaven, or the realm of the gods (天道).
Above these lie the four holy states: the Śrāvaka (声聞), the Pratyekabuddha (縁覚), the bodhisattva (菩薩) and finally completely enlightened Buddhahood.
We know that the wheel of reincarnation is very much real in Xiyouji and that the novel has Hindu and Buddhist mythology it wouldn't be out of the question that they have this specific cosmology, even if most of the time the novel is within more Easten heaven and dealing with Taoist gods.
There is a more modern take that is seen more fantasy novels where these 6 relams but that is far more used for the sake of fantasy where they are Gods (神界), Immortals (仙界), Spirits (妖界), Demon (魔界) Mortal (人界) and Ghosts 冥界(鬼界). Again this are more used for a fantasy setting in modern terms so this is a far more modern idea.
(heaven, mortal realm and diyu), like, the Demon realm and spirit realm are a thing in JTTW?
Demons and yao do not have their own realm. Demons are rather animals, plants, or other spirits that they to escape Hell (地獄道), The Hungry Ghosts or pretas (餓鬼道), or The Beasts (畜生道) and move on the human form. Or even celestials that abandon their posts and turn into demons as well. It is because they don't have their own realm that they are considered unnatural and going against the laws of nature.