Relevant to atla interests.
2,000 Years of Chinese History! The Mandate of Heaven and Confucius: World History #7
Showing posts tagged Chinese history
The Compass
Fun fact: Originally Chinese compasses (invented 400 BC) did not point North, but South.
The Order of the White Lotus
Sometimes a lotus is just a cigar! Or how Uncle did not found the Triads.
ATLA’s Order of the White Lotus shares a name with the White Lotus Sect. Please note that this is utterly coincidental, if not amusing :D
White Lotus (白蓮教 Pinyin: báiliánjiào ) was a type of Buddhist sectarianism that appealed to many Han Chinese, who found solace in worship of the “Unborn or Eternal Venerable Mother”* ( 无生老母), who was to gather all her children at the millennium into one family.
The first signs of the White Lotus Society came during the late thirteenth century. Mongol rule over China, known also by its dynastic name, the Yuan dynasty, prompted small, yet popular demonstrations against its rule. The White Lotus Society took part in some of these protests as they grew into widespread dissent.
The Mongols considered the White Lotus society a heterodox religious (contrary to the orthodox view) sect and banned it, forcing its members to go underground. Now a secret society, the White Lotus became an instrument of quasi-national resistance and religious organization.
The Fire Nation palace and the Earth King’s palace in Ba Sing Se are both modeled on the Forbidden City in Beijing.
Fire Nation
The Fire Nation palace is modeled on the Hall of Supreme Harmony, with some added Thai architectural elements i.e. the flames on edge of the roof.
Earth Kingdom
The design of the Earth King’s palace, on the other hand, is modeled on the Meridian Gate.
Note: There will be more on the palace in Ba Sing Se, once I get to those episodes.
Since we were just talking about statues in the harbour …
Macau
The city of Macau (澳门, Àomén) is one of the two Special Administrative Regions (SARs) of the People’s Republic of China. It is located on the western side of the Pearl River Delta to the east of Hong Kong, near the Guangdong province.
Macau became the first and last European colony in China. Portuguese traders took control of the region during the 16th century and used their advantage to trade within India, China, and Japan. It wasn’t until December 1999 that Macau was finally returned to China. Because of the “one country, two systems” policy, Macau established its own legal system, currency, custom, politics, and immigration laws, thus making it distinctive from China’s government.
Since Macau had been under Portuguese rule for quite some time, there are many residents who are mixed and come from Chinese and Portuguese descent. People from Macau are called “Macanese”. A majority of these people speak Mandarin and some English, but there are also dozens of people who speak the “Macanese language” known as Patuá.
The culture in Macau is heavily influenced by Chinese and Portuguese traditions. People celebrate holidays from both cultures, like participating in festivities in the Lunar New Year and taking part in religious ceremonies like visiting temples. The food is based on Cantonese and Portuguese cuisine, and the later one is made with ingredients and seasonings from Europe, South America, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. Gambling is popular especially for tourism (in a way, Macau is like the Las Vegas of Asia). The Venetian Macau is a Renaissance Venice-themed hotel and casino resort. It features a mini replica of the San Luca canal and visitors can actually be carried in the river in a gondola.
Amon Poster and Real World References
As you can see the Amon poster is clearly based on communist propaganda posters.
I am curious as to how this will play out, but one thing is certain, LOK will continue to follow Chinese history i.e. fictionalize historic figures and events, as they did in ATLA.
Remember: Kuei is a play on the last Emperor, Lao Gais were real prison camps and the Air Nomad genocide is a reference to Tibet.
The question I would like to get answered is: What does that mean for the Earth Kingdom?
Was Kuei disposed a long time ago and worked as a gardener (as happened to his RL model)? And who is in charge there now?
Was there a revolution in the EK already and is now coming to Republic City?
Or is the revolution starting in Republic City? Will this be a reverse Taiwan situation, where the Benders flee to the Mainland?
Or is the the Cultural Revolution? Are Amon’s Equalists the Red Guards?
Is ‘Ping’ a play on 'Deng Xiao Ping’? 'Amon’ a reference to 'Mao’?
One thing I know, though: This does not bode well …
Image sources: One, two, three
More:
What time period is ATLA set in
Implications of The Founding of Republic City i.e. The Promise Part One
Toph’s Family is wearing Tang Dynasty clothing.
Throughout all atla nations we can see people wear different types of hanfu.
Hanfu 汉服 or Han Chinese Clothing, or Chinese Silk Robe refers to the historical dress of the Han Chinese people, which was worn for millennia before the conquest by the Manchus and the establishment of the Qing Dynasty in 1644.
The style we see Toph and her mother wear is from the Tang dynasty.
Note: The whole of the atla universe is a collage of China through the ages, with one dynasty prevalent in on specific region, with added outside influences i.e. Fire Nation architecture is strongly influenced by Thai architecture.
Click this! Pretty damn amazing re-enactment! Click! I know you want to!
More Tang Dynasty style hanfu i.e. pretty pictures!
More pretty pictures: Hanfu of different dynasties
Chin Village, Chin the Great
The inscription on the statue reads: 秦帝 Qin Di (Emperor Qin), referring to 秦始皇帝, The First Emperor.
Chin The Great vs Emperor Qin
Chin the Great is based on Emperor Qin. Not just in name, Chin and Qin are pronounced nearly identically and could be argued to be different romanizations of the same name, but also in deeds. Compare their histories.
Both united the kingdom and were known for their tyrannic rule, but also for their great achievements.
Qin Shi Huang 秦始皇 (259 BC – 210 BC) was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 246 BC to 221 BC during the Warring States Period. He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC. He ruled until his death in 210 BC at the age of 49. Qin Shi Huang is a pivotal figure in Chinese history, ushering nearly two millennia of imperial rule. After unifying China, he and his chief advisor Li Si passed a series of major economic and political reforms. He undertook gigantic projects, including building and unifying various sections of the Great Wall of China, the now famous city-sized mausoleum guarded by a life-sized Terracotta Army, and a massive national road system, all at the expense of numerous lives. To ensure stability, Qin Shi Huang outlawed and burned many books and buried some scholars alive.
Chin the Conqueror, also known as Chin the Great, was a ruthless warlord from the northwestern Earth Kingdom born over 370 years ago, during the life of Avatar Kyoshi. He launched a largely successful war against the Earth King before being indirectly killed by Kyoshi in defense of her homeland. Chin was remembered as a capable and tyrannical leader, who successfully took advantage of widespread dissatisfaction with the reign of the 46th Earth King. He used the state of political affairs to launch a military campaign from a little island in the northwestern part of the kingdom, unifying the Earth Kingdom under his control.
Chin’s armor
The armor Chin The Great is wearing does not fit into the same time period, but is late Tang Dynasty (see picture).
His ‘belt buckle’ is based on the lion-dog shoulder pieces of Tang armor. Lion-dog designs were commonly used to decorate the armor and swords of high ranking military leaders.
Chin’s crown/guan
Guan means headgear or crown (depending on rank).
Chin is wearing the guan i.e. headgear of a military leader. The flowing bands/feather are to show the wearer’s bravery. Bumi has similar feathers on his crown for the same reason.
Fire Nation Colony Spa: Incense Burner
At the spa, at the beginning of season two, we see two incense burners in the background. Incense is not only burned at temples for worship but also has medicinal uses.
Incense in China is traditionally used in a wide range of Chinese cultural activities including, religious ceremonies, ancestor veneration, traditional medicine, and in daily life. Known as xiang 香 (literally “fragrance”), incense was used by the Chinese cultures starting from Neolithic times with it coming to greater prominence starting from the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties.
Image source: One