#Bái Shé Zhuàn

[xen0lush]

need me someone that's gonna carve me a snake shaped bangle out of white jade

[lizzybeth1986]

“Above, there is heaven; below, there is Suzhou and Hangzhou.” - Chinese Saying.

–

Of late, I’ve noticed that most of the LI diamond scenes in the engagement tour follow a pattern:

Hana’s scenes focus on helping us with an upcoming task, which briefly/extensively dealing with her own background story. Your walls don’t need ears if you have Hana because if she’s around and a character that you have to form an alliance with/ask questions to needs a little persuasion, Hana manages to overhear and help you attain the object that character so desires. For instance, the Parisian Fashion Show, the Patisserie scene, the Champagne scene in Shanghai. Exception to this is Hana’s Library Scene in Paris.

Drake’s scenes tend to focus on his distaste for courtly life and their ‘ostentious’ ways, and often allow the MC to take a breather from court maneuvering and the ongoing investigation. Some give us some extensive background on certain aspects of the story, like the attempt on Liam’s life and Savannah’s story, and others are fun and flirty. For instance, the Italian Restaurant scene, the Dive Bar scene, the Pool Scene and the Trip Around NY scene. Exception to this area the investigation at Capri and the Savannah scene - both of which revolve around solving certain mysteries.

Liam’s scenes revolve mainly around the experiences he wants to give the MC openly but can’t because of the position he is currently in. This applies to his scenes in both books. In Book 1, he has to keep his interest in the MC as private, resulting in him taking her either to places that mean something to him, or that are aimed at getting her to sit back and relax a bit. In Book 2, he is held back even further by his engagement and impending marriage, and tries to steal as many moments as he can with the MC - again, by showing her places that mean something to him. This is but fitting, given that his romance with her could (if you pick that choice) begun while seeing the Statue of Liberty. Liam’s scenes are all about showing the MC the beauty of the city they’re in, and exploring the legends and stories behind them. These scenes tend to fulfill all the wishes that the MC lists at the beginning of Book 1: to see the world, to live an adventurous life or to fall in love. Whether the MC is into adventure or romance, these scenes fit the bill for either. For instance, Blue Grotto in Capri, Eiffel Tower and Ponts des Arts bridge in Paris, Hangzhou West Lake in Shanghai and Central Park in New York. Exceptions include the Opera scene, since that is technically a court function.

The Hangzhou West Lake sequence doesn’t have a personal story the way Blue Grotto or Eiffel Tower do, but Liam does associate certain things about it to the MC and her own journey.

Hangzhou West Lake

(Photo credit: China Discovery website)

Marked as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, the West Lake has often been considered an incarnation of Xi Shi (the Lady of the West), one of the Four Great Beauties of ancient China. It was originally a lagoon adjoining the Qiántáng River, which then got developed into a manmade lake sometime in the 8th century, with a gradually and carefully built landscape comprising of gardens, pagodas, causeways and little islets.

Hangzhou’s West Lake is also considered a famous romantic spot - often teeming with couples - and is home to a number of love legends. Its own creation legend boasts of the lake being a jade jewel from the heavens that dropped to earth. The most popular love legend, however, is the Legend of the Lady White Snake.

This legend chronicles the love story of a snake spirit, Bái Shé Zhuàn, and a human, Xǔ Xiān, who fall in love, get married and live in marital bliss for a few years before tragedy strikes. An evil monk, Fǎ Hǎi, turns out to be the main antagonist in their story: first by revealing to Xǔ Xiān that his wife is in reality a snake spirit, and later by kidnapping him to bait the spirit into a battle - which the latter loses - and subsequently improsoning her…leading the couple to be separated for decades. It is thanks to their grown son that they are later united.

What’s worth noting here is the level of trust and love shared by the couple: when her husband dies of a heart attack caused by knowing her real identity, Bái Shé Zhuàn faces multiple hardships to attain the herb that will revive him, and Xǔ Xiān tells him the moment he comes back to life that he will never stop loving her, no matter who she is. Even when he is imprisoned, he manages to break free from the evil monk to make it by her side. Bái Shé Zhuàn is no less. She goes to war for her beloved husband, willing to beat down every obstacle in her way to reach and rescue him, and despite the long agonizing wait finds happiness when she is reunited with him.

The legend is not mentioned in the scene, but the fact that Liam chooses this spot for its romantic connections makes it worth a comparison to the Liam x MC story. The most striking parallels to the Legend of the White Snake Lady that I can see is reflected in Liam’s willingness to trust the MC despite all the evidence stacked up against her, and the MC’s willingness to fight for herself and her relationship with Liam (if he is her LI).

What Does It Mean To Be King?

If there is one thing I’m at odds with the writers of TRR in, it’s how ruling/kingship/the nature of politics is viewed in the TRR universe, and how this general worldview is reflected in Liam’s thoughts and opinions.

Thoughout the books, we have been presented an ideal for “how to be King” in Liam - and this is an ideal upheld by the rest of the characters: Maxwell talks about the boundaries that stop Liam from picking the MC in the first chapter of Book 2, Regina states that Liam was perfect in his role as king even if he wasn’t too keen on becoming one, and in our most recent chapter in New York, Drake buys the compass as a way of reminding Liam “not to lose his way” the way Constantine did - implying thereby that he thinks the path Liam is already on is the best one for him. Within this universe, Liam’s largely peace-loving, people-oriented style of ruling seems to be what ALL the people that the MC is supposed to trust, are rooting for.

As for Liam himself? We may see flashes of strategizing and planning here and there, but the overall impression we get is that he wants to keep his people happy, and struggles to balance that with his love for the MC. He speaks of power coming with responsibility, speaks of learning that his own needs as a person weren’t as important as his duty towards his people in Paris, speaks of being a king and being a man as two separate things. But we hardly speak about court enough to get a clear idea of how he plans, makes strategies, deals with his enemies. And this is where I feel we’re missing something pretty big when it comes to understanding Liam at all.

This is our first scene with Liam after Constantine’s shocking admission of being involved in the conspiracy surrounding the MC. Throughout the books Liam seems to associate everything he has learned about being King with Constantine (especially in the Eiffel Tower scene) and the latter’s betrayal shakes the core foundation of everything he has believed in in many ways. To a large extent Liam is right. Nothing justifies Constantine’s decision to put a guest to their country in that vulnerable a position, not even the current situation in Cordonia OR past rebellions. Constantine made his choice to harm the MC, and subsequently to force Liam to choose Madeleine. Liam makes HIS choice as King by standing up for her and demanding that Constantine support them in their mission.

But here is where I differ from the way Liam/the writers view things:

The way Liam makes a distinction between being a king and being a person troubles me - mostly because it seems too simplistic a divide to me. The truth of Liam’s role as a politician is that he will have to make decisions he isn’t comepletely comfortable with as a common man, but that will protect his people and secure HIM against his enemies. A man who has lost his mother in one conspiracy, almost lost his own life in another, would have a better idea than most that such a black and white view of politics may not always be beneficial to his political role. He would know - better than most people - that good intentions and straightforwardness can only take you so far when your court is brimming over with corruption.

However, there is a chance that his questions here may also factor into how the end of this book works out. It is possible for Book 2 to end with an assassination attempt - possibly aimed at Liam - and if it does, the question then will be how this incident will affect Liam’s own thoughts on his role as king. Will it result in him embracing the side of him that can strategize, direct, get his hands dirty better? Make him less willing to compromise and more demanding of what he wants fulfilled? Will he resort to unorthodox methods to achieve his ends, having almost lost his life (again) to court politics? Will the MC get to see more of him as a crafty (I hope) politician? Only time - and the writers - will tell.

The Legend of the Dragon Gate Waterfall

Liam doesn’t mention the Lady White Snake legend at all, but there is one traditional Chinese/largely Southeast Asian legend he does relate to the MC, and that is the legend of the Dragon Carp that survives an almost impossible journey and makes it against all odds to the Dragon’s Gate Waterfall, where the fish transforms into a mighty dragon by the blessings of the gods. It is said that many koi fish swim upstream against the river’s strong current, but few are capable or brave enough for the final leap over the waterfall.

This legend is important for several reasons. One is what both the dragon and the koi symbolize in Chinese culture. The Chinese dragon has long been an auspicious symbol of great and benevolent, magical power. The image of a carp jumping over Dragon’s Gate is an old and enduring Chinese cultural symbol for courage, perseverance, and accomplishment. In Liam’s mind, the MC’s fight to clear her name is as tough and as strenuous as the journey of a koi up the Dragon’s Gate, and her determination and never-give-up attitude make her “the most loyal, tenacious woman I know”. Liam confirms as such in his dialogue with the MC: The story has come to remind me of you. Watching you throughout the engagement tour, you’ve been fighting your wall up the waterfall…and when we find Tariq, you’ll reach the top and become a dragon, and nothing will ever stand in your way.

There are many parallels between the MC’s own story and the legend. The first and most obvious is that no matter who she romances, the MC goes through incredible hardships during her stay in Cordonia - hardships that would have potentially broken other people and forced them to give up and return home. But her connection to Cordonia, and her determination to be truly with the people she loves, is what drives her to brave out this difficult journey and make it to the end.

The MC’s journey also resembles the dragon koi because of how different she is from the other suitors, and how she manages to succeed despite her obvious disadvantages. She starts out as a foreigner on Cordonian soul - and not just any foreigner, but one who is competing for the hand of Cordonia’s future king. She has zero experience of court life or class protocol, has largely well-intentioned but not very efficient coaches in the Beaumont brothers, and has to navigate a system she has very little awareness of, often with little assistance. On top of this, she is caught in the eye of the storm when it comes to courtly intrigue, and now has to fight to regain her reputation in Cordonia. She is truly the carp that swims against the current.

The other reason is the fact that no matter how the story turns out the MC is slated to succeed in her larger mission and become someone of major importance in Cordonia. In doing so her story will then become a reflection of the ancient Chinese proverb - lǐ yu tiào lóng mén (the carp has leaped over the Dragon's Gate) .

This five-character expression, according to the Chinese Dragon study project, “was originally used as a metaphor for a person’s success in passing very difficult imperial examinations, required for entry into imperial administrative service”. The imperial examination system in China is a 2000-year-old, and the ultimate path to wealth and glory was through passing these daunting, difficult examinations. These examinations and tests determined whether the individual who took them would make a fitting civil service official, and often involved lifelong study and multiple unsuccessful attempts. To ensure that the system did not descend into nepotism, an open examination system called kējǔ was maintained. The Chinese Dragon Study Project further maintains that “to this day, when a student from a remote country village passes the rigorous national university examination in China, friends and family proudly refer to the 'Liyu Tiao Long Men.’ More generally, the expression is used to communicate that if a person works hard and diligently, success will one day be achieved”.

The MC’s struggle is made even more daunting by her position in Cordonia as a foreign woman with no social station, a commoner, someone who is severely lacking in experience, breeding and courtly education. For her to reach to the top of the pile over skilled courtiers like Kiara and Hana, titled ladies like Penelope, on par with powerful women like Olivia and Madeleine, makes her very much like the dragon-carp-like student who gets in through the open system and makes it through despite the odds (especially if she makes the correct choices in the story). Furthermore, her attempts to clear her name further give the reader the impression that like the student taking the imperial exam, and the koi in the legend, she will face all the obstacles standing in her way and survive.

To Be A Queen

(Screenshot for Applewood Hedge Maze scene from Abhirio’s YouTube channel)

Liam speaks of what he feels about being King at the beginning of the scene, but it is only after the MC responds to the legend he narrates to her that we see what Liam thinks of how the MC will fare as a queen. When was the last time Liam had done this? At the Applewood Hedge Maze.

There are, however, a lot of differences between that scene and the West Lake one. In Applewood, Liam is certain of his choice and confident that the MC will be a good queen for Cordonia, but he doesn’t have a clear idea why yet. So he asks her what she would imagine her moniker to be, and what causes she plans to champion. This is his way of getting to know her better, and seeing what she, as queen, will be passionate about. As Regina said at the opera, Liam obviously sees something in her that everyone else didn’t.

By their tryst in Shanghai, Liam has a better, clearer idea of her as a woman and a person, a more nuanced experience of their dynamic and how they work together (if he is her LI). He speaks of her as being an integral factor in his decision making process (which choice would make me worthy of the MC?) and an inspiration for him to do the right thing (I look to you for strength. I look to you for the courage to choose the right path, even if it is the most difficult one). Liam’s trust in the MC was pretty strong already, but the events of Book 2 solidify that trust and confirm his belief that she is the best queen for Cordonia.

The main difference between the Applewood Hedge Maze and West Lake lies in how Liam sees her. Applewood shows us the hope that the MC will be the queen Cordonia needs. Hangzhou West Lake shows us the certainty.

Conclusion

This scene deals briefly with Liam’s thoughts on being King (as a counterpoint to what he says at the Eiffel Tower), but more importantly, it deals with how Liam views the MC’s journey, her struggles, her determination to stick it out and fight no matter what. To him (if she is his LI) she is the koi that became a dragon, the fish that fought its way to the top of the waterfall, the most fitting queen for Cordonia. This scene shows us the MC, through Liam’s eyes.

Sources:

"Leaping Over the Dragon's Gate - The Realms of the Dragons", by Michael P. Garofalo on the Green Way Research Website.

"2000 years of Examinations in China" from the China Sage website.

[bzaianimes]

Hakujaden / The Great White Snake

白蛇伝 – Hakujaden é baseadonum grande conto popular da China antiga chamado “白蛇傳- Bái Shé Zhuàn”. A “Lenda da Cobra Branca” é bastante antiga, mas também muito popular, com inúmeras versões em folclore, literatura e teatro. A versão escolhida para a adaptação do anime é belamente romantizada e dotada de alguns personagens adicionais. Um conto de fadas sobre um…

[e-putonghua-blog]

Learn Putonghua –The white snake story originated from civilians, and is a beautiful and fairy folklore, which it is one of the four big Chinese folklores. – www.e-Putonghua.com 白蛇传故事起源于民间，是一个优美的带有神性的民间传说，是中国四大民间传说之一。( Bái shé zhuàn ɡù shi qǐ yuán yú mín jiān, shì yí ɡè yōu měi de dài yǒu shén xìnɡ de mín jiān chuán shuō, shì zhōnɡ ɡuó sì dà mín jiān chuán shuō zhī yī. )