#Jiang Chi

[kexing]

Gu Bu Xia and Jiang Chi being disgustingly cute boyfriends.

[asksythe]

House Jiang’s Lost Founder - Jiang Chi - Lost canon detail from the novel - Wen and Jiang, how their names foreshadow their fates

Did you know the man who founded House Jiang is named Jiang Chi 江迟? 

This name is not included in any materials from the official novel, the Donghua and its character data sheets, or even the live-action drama Chenqingling. 

The name Jiang Chi was mentioned only once in chapter 56, Sandu 12, The Three Poisons - 12, of the original web novel version of Modaozushi before it underwent rewriting and editing in 2016. Here  is the full passage in which it was mentioned: 

云梦江氏立家先祖江迟乃是游侠出身，家风崇舒朗磊落，坦荡潇洒，虞夫人的精气神与之完全背道而驰。而江澄模样和性子都随母亲，天生便不投江枫眠之好，从小诸般教导，始终调不过来，是以江枫眠一直表现得似乎不是太青睐他。

Lit: The ancestor and founder of House Jiang, Jiang Chi, came from a knight errand (traveling hero) background. His House philosophy revered open-mindedness, earnestness, purity of heart, fairness in dealing with people of all castes and backgrounds, and unrestrained by rules. Yu Furen's personality is in direct contrast with his House philosophy. Jiang Cheng had a similar personality as his mother and was naturally not a favorite of his father. Regardless of how much he was taught from a young age, he still couldn't understand this (the House Philosophy). This was the reason why Jiang Fengmian's behavior seemed to suggest a lack of favor. 

I. The Wen and Jiang founder’s names and how they foreshadow their historical positions and final fates: 

Wen starts things. Jiang ends them.  

The Wen founder is named Wen Mao 温卯. Mao 卯 is an ancient word specifying the 4th shih (double hours) of the day, from 5-7 am in our modern time. Mao is also the time when court officials started their working days in ancient times. The royal court began with Mao. 

In other words, Wen Mao’s name foreshadows the fact that he’s the one to end one era (the era of the cultivation sect) and begin another era (the era of the cultivation house/nobility). This was in the novel during Wei Ying’s first class in Cloud Recess. Lan Qiren asked Wei Wuxian who was the person that ended the cultivation sect era and began the cultivation house era. 

On the other hand, the Chi in Jiang Chi 江迟 means late, slow, outdated, behind in era. 

This name foreshadows Jiang Chi’s place as the “last of the herd” and “reluctant follower” in Wen Mao’s cultivation house era. Wen Mao started the rise of the house system and the ending of the sect system. Yet House Jiang, despite being called Jiang Shi like its historical peers (Wen Shi, Lan Shi, Jin Shi, and Nie Shi) had the system of a sect and not a house. 

Because of how Jiang Shi was created and its system rooted in the sect system, House Jiang continuously prevaricated between being a sect (in all but name) and a house in the novel under Jiang Fengmian’s reign.  

House Wen massacred House Jiang. The eradication of the original Jiang Shi is the spark that ignited the Sunshot War. 

Wei Ying, the last member of House Jiang who still holds Jiang Chi’s philosophy, is key to making the defeat of House Wen possible.

Jiang Cheng, the last biological Jiang, headed the Burial Mound Siege and slaughtered the last of biological Wens, with the only surviving Wen child becoming a Lan.   

II. The difference between a sect and a house: 

There are overlapping areas between a sect / zongmen 宗門 and a house / shijia 世家. So it’s easy to mix up these two concepts. However, the novel highlights the key difference between these two systems itself. 

Sects prioritize the inheritance of their philosophy and teaching.    

Houses, on the other hand, prioritize direct bloodline hereditary. 

This is crucial in things like deciding who the next generation leader will be, as well as the policy in treating their members. 

Under the sect system, barring unforgivable mistakes or heinous crimes, the eldest disciple inherits the title of sect heir and next-generation leader. 

Under the house system, the previous house leader’s son inherits the title of heir and the position of next-generation leader. 

For example: under the sect system, Wei Ying is the heir and will inherit the leadership. Under the house system, Jiang Cheng is the heir and will inherit the leadership.

Similarly, sects place far less importance on a person’s caste and background and have fewer and less restrictive rankings. Sects are meritocratic. 

Houses, because of their nature and the heredity that is central to their concept, have extensive and incredibly strict rankings of their members. Houses are nepotistic. 

For example: Wei Changzhe was Jiang Fengmian’s sect brother under Jiang Fengmian’s father’s time. In the book, Jiang Fengmian called Wei Changzheng his sect brother. Wei Changzhe also accompanied Jiang Fengmian to Cloud Recess to study and met Cangse Sanren there. These are privileges not allowed to house servants. But from Jiang Fengmian’s time forward, because of Yu Furen’s influence, he was called a house servant. 

In the novel, Yunmeng Jiangshi was a house undergoing a crisis of identity. It has the name of the house, the trapping of a sect, and constant chaos and confusion as to where it was going, the ranking and positions of its members (with Wei Ying holding the title of eldest disciple and still treated like a servant being the most glaring part), and who its next-generation leader would be. 

Well, until the death of Jiang Fengmian and the eradication of the original Yunmeng Jiang Shi put a stop to that confusion. Jiang Shi under Jiang Cheng’s reign is a house through and through and completely disconnected from Jiang Chi’s House Philosophy. 

[gabrielokun]

[viterbofangirllovestheuntamed]

idea/headcanon: The First Jiang, founder of the sect, was much like JC, they built their home for all the feral goblins that followed them around and dealt with the boring bits to keep the home steady and safe while feral ones ran rampant and kept the water/land safe(ish) and while the disciples have been and remain feral goblins, the sect leader has always needed to be their touchstone, their kite string, JC is that for them, JFM was not, JC is true Jiang

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this meta! The kite string analogy is sheer perfection. However, I would like to pose an alternate theory! Jiang Chi was as much of a feral gremlin as you could ever hope for!

His wife, however, was the MOST type-A person the jianghu could have produced.

SHE was the one who helped build the fledgling sect. SHE was the one who kept her charismatic but disorganized husband on-track. SHE was the one who made sure the sect was able to survive past its founders' lives.

And Jiang Chi adored her for it.

Jiang Chi thought his wife was the most amazing thing since pork buns. Jiang Chi trusted his wife more than he trusted himself. Jiang Chi spent every day of his long and successful life expressing his undying gratitude and appreciation to his cultivation partner.

Jiang Fengmian fell short of his ancestor's legacy when he failed to recognize his son's and his wife's contributions to the success of the sect. And Jiang Cheng, zi Wanyin, is the true heir to his ancestor's most precious person.

[chicademartinica]

Thank you Taiwan for giving me this man. I shall take great care of him. (Also me waiting for @respectthepetty to validate my theory that he is not a full Black Brooder and that there is blue in there)

[alejunsu]

Stay by my Side EP6

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

[jjsanguine]

Bu Xia: ?!

Bu Xia: why did you kiss me?

Jiang Chi: ? are we not in the talking stage right now

Bu Xia: no !

Jiang Chi: damn. Could we be then?

Bu Xia:

Bu Xia: well,

[27vampyresinhermind]

Um….Bu Xia’s sister is performing a binding ritual for them…..they getting married!!

[orangemocharaktajino]

[doorajar]

The actor

who plays Jiang Chi--the wonderful eyebrows, the fierce eyes, the flexible mouth--is

29 years old.

Sorry--it just freaks me out.

[scorbleeo]

Drama Review: Stay by My Side (免疫屏蔽)

Source: Google Images

Bu Xia is brought up by his grandfather, who is a spiritual medium. After his grandfather’s funeral, he finds himself hearing voices murmur in his ears now and then. He thinks he’s suffering from hallucinations and is ready to seek medical treatment but is surprised to find that the voices in his ears, like a Dolby stereo, are the voices of ghosts! He is as dumbfounded as if he has just received a vaccination. Jiang Chi is Bu Xia’s roommate and excels in both sports and academics. When Bu Xia finds out that the more he gets in touch with Jiang Chi, the more he doesn’t hear any ghostly voice, he starts to find ways to approach Jiang Chi. Is it because of Jiang Chi’s charm? The more Jiang Chi knows, the more confused he becomes.

Source: MyDramaList (2023)

Cringey But Cute

When I first started watching Stay by My Side, I was obsessed with it. It was cute in a cringe way and it was interestingly fast-paced. Unfortunately, the drama fell off in the last two to three episodes. The beginning of the drama was focused on Bu Xia's unfortunate ability and the start of his relationship with Jiang Chi. Reaching the middle, it was all about the development of Bu Xia and Jiang Chi's relationship. At the end though, it was a rushed attempt at dramatising Bu Xia's unfortunate ability. I understood the direction the writers wanted the show to go but they did not plan the route well. The least they could do was give Bu Xia's unfortunate ability's storyline a development arc so by the time the viewers reach the last two episodes, it wouldn't feel rushed.

Of course, in spite of my issue with that, I liked the way the drama ultimately ended. I have a feeling they ended it that way so a possible second season is not too farfetched but I actually like it more if there are no plans for a second season at all. It made sense. They did that ritual and now Jiang Chi's the one having Bu Xia's unfortunate ability. However, the fact that Bu Xia has absolutely no idea what that ritual entailed to heavily hinted that if there is a second season, there will be a third act breakup because of the lies Jiang Chi told. Just so you know, I absolutely hate it when love stories go that way, it's boring, overly done and completely unneeded. Perhaps, that's why I do not want a second season and like the way it ended.

Now, lets briefly talk about the acting of Hong Wei Zhe and Yang I Hsuan. I am rarely this critical but I do not like Yang's acting at all. He needs more practice with facial expression. Yang did okay when Jiang Chi was his initial cold, unfriendly and stoic self. However, Yang's portrayal of Jiang Chi after he shedded that skin was what made me cringe. I could not take his in-love-with-Bu-Xia personality, it felt overdone and unnatural. On the other hand, Hong's portrayal of Bu Xia was very easy to take in. I am not someone who likes a cute personality but Bu Xia's cuteness was so natural, it got rid of the negative feelings I had with Jiang Chi's unnaturalness. I believe these boys are new to the acting world and most often than not, they will likely get better the more they act. I am just saying this will not be Yang's best project in terms of his acting ability.

Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5/5)

[ppeonppeonhan]

Top 10 2023 BL Kisses

If you've seen at least a couple BLs you know that some of these actors are either uncomfortable kissing another man or just didn't get enough practice kissing literally anyone. So when they get it right and genuinely seem to be enjoying themselves, it is worth noting. Soooo grab a pen and paper, and take some notes:

You Are Mine: This Taiwanese drama was problematique with the unbalanced workplace power dynamics, but this sweet upside down kiss was worth the wait.

Dangerous Romance: This may not have been their first kiss, but it felt like the most romantic. By this point, they'd shared many scenes filled with awkward sexual tension, but this one didn't have an ounce of humor, and Kanghan and Sailom just melted into each other's arms.

Kiseki: Dear to Me: The lighting for this kiss really emphasized their till-death-do-us-part themed dialogue where they vowed to die seconds apart.

Stay By My Side: Lackluster supernatural subplot aside, this Taiwanese drama delivered the most adorable kiss as the main lead was too nervous to give in to his desires without closing his eyes.

Be My Favorite: It took Kawi a frustratingly long time to pull his head out of his ass and realize he would be lucky to have Pisaeng even as a friend let alone a boyfriend. Thank goodness for Pisaeng's patience, cause ours was wearing thin.

Love Class 2: Very happy Ma Ru realized he had feelings for his bestie and wasted no time making that clear with an epic kiss that I have probably rewatched a dozen times.

Only Friends: Honestly, all of their kisses were incredible, because both of these actors went from supporting characters to lead roles, and did not skip a beat. There was no awkward beginner's kiss phase. Those intimacy workshops must've been lit.

Step by Step: Their kiss chemistry was on point, but the car scenes were the most memorable for how very possible they would've been caught in the act in the parking garage of their place of employment. Caution meet wind.

Wedding Plan: These two were about five seconds away from making a baby in that car, and if this were the omegaverse, they probably would've.

Hidden Agenda: There was hunger in that kiss on both sides, and it took every ounce of strength in Zo to shove Joke out the door once he made his intention clear.

[gabrielokun]

[viterbofangirllovestheuntamed]

Idea: The original Jiang sect was mostly just a bunch of river pirates, they just say they were hunters before getting into cultivation because they figured that saying they used to be river pirates was a bad move in polite company

Jiang Chi, swinging on ropes: ARRRR, WE BE HONEST RIVER MERCHANTS

Jiang Chi, sporting an eyepatch and a parrot on his shoulder: JUST NORMAL SAILING FOLK

Jiang Chi, shoving his mouthiest gremlin sailors off the plank while the rest catcall and place bets at how long said gremlins last before begging to be let back on: NOTHING HERE BUT SIMPLE TRADERS WITH PERFECTLY INNOCENT BOATS

Jiang Chi: setting other boats on fire and laughing maniacally as he and his people board the sinking ship to grab all the treasure: ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY TOTALLY NOT RIVER PIRATES NOPE UH UH

rest of the jianghu: whatever you say please don't hurt us

[chicademartinica]

I have been laughing at the Stay by my Side BTS for hours. Waji ( Bu Xia) is unhinged and athletic (pro dancer) and Isaac ( Jiang Chi) is shyer but doesn’t know how to back down from the shenanigans.