#ming red paint

[prodineonblue]

P'li ✨✨(A.K.A Sparky Sparky Boom Ma'am)

I did Ming-Hua, so naturally P'li was next!!

My Ming-Hua art didn't get many notes, so maybe I have to play the I'm 14 years old card cause I really want some notes ahahaha

Here's my Ming-Hua one btw!!

[balkanparamo]

Hu Ming - Red, red wine 2010

[fluffypurpleglitterdemon]

Wait... the war's over, Xianle has fallen and Xie Lian is called back to the heavens, and almost-certainly-Hong-er is getting into fights with the people burning down Xie Lian's temples? Huh. I thought for sure he died on the battlefield as a soldier...

[hydeordie]

YAN PEI-MING, BOUDDHA EN LOTUS, 2001

[captainamsel]

Ma Xiuying from the Radiant Emperor duology!

Design/research notes under the cut

The characters read 馬秀英 (Pinyin: mǎ xiù yīng), her personal name, and 孝慈高皇后 (xiào cí gāo huáng hòu), her name as Empress.

There's certainly no dearth of material on Chinese clothing history out there. That is, if you can read Chinese, which I can't, so everything I have is from secondary and tertiary sources and/or relies on translation software. Fortunately, we're dealing with historical fantasy here, so some anachronisms are not only allowed but encouraged.

While Shelley Parker-Chan takes many liberties, the books are still set in a very specific time period, which is both a blessing and a curse. Most readily accessible resources will tell you about dynasties, which can span hundreds of years, and the duology takes place in a transitional period. So how to dress a Semu girl from the Yuan dynasty who lives with Nanren rebels wanting to revive the Song dynasty and who later becomes the first Ming empress?

Let's go through them one by one. The best resource was this book which is on the Internet Archive. I disregarded Mongol and Semu influences for the design since clothing is very much political and a way to either stand out or fit in with the surrounding society, see for example Wang Baoxiang wearing a topknot in Khanbaliq. Ma, I imagine, would want to fit in with the Nanren around her, so she's pretty much wearing the attire of Han women under Yuan rule. For the hair I went for something that looks youthful while being plausible, though I found very little on hair in this period, so who's to say.

The next one is from a specific scene in the book, so there is some description to go on: red, long sleeves with gold embroidery, high hair, red and gold ribbons. Since this is the scene where Ma declares herself queen and future empress in front of the Red Turban, it has to be a very deliberate dress. It therefore takes inspiration from Song aristocrats' broad-sleeved gowns as well as from 翟衣 (dí yī), the highest ceremonial gown of both Song and Ming empresses. (Some examples for 翟衣 are in this post, which also features the bird shaped crown I just had to include, and this post.) Her hair still has the loops, but it's much more sculpted.

Finally, Empress Ma! This is mainly based on the two actual portraits I could find of the historical figure that Ma is based on, with elements taken from other portraits and paintings. It includes 凤冠 (fèng guān), the phoenix crown, 霞帔 (xiá pèi), the sash, and 禁步 (jīn bù), the jade belt. This video shows how Ming dynasty layers are worn, but it refers to a much later period so it's not quite the same as Ma's.

(Some additional, historically irrelevant notes: I realized too late that a right-to-left timeline might be more appropriate. Oh well! Also, how the colours photograph frustrates me, I swear I did not make her this deathly pale. And finally, some of the characters look a bit smudged because my cat spilled water on them. I did what I could to save them.)

[mjrtaurus]

So something that caught my attention with the Dragon symbolism stuff with the world nobles vs how it’a used in the RA led me down a rabbit hole that I found interesting enough to share.

So the whole thing stems from two instances of dragon claws being depicted in One Piece.

So! First we have the Celestial Dragon Claw, four clawed, used as branding to mark word noble “property”. Then we have the Dragon Claw Fist, three clawed, a fighting style that we can assume was developed by the RA using the Finger Pistol of the Six Powers as a base.

The difference here is the number of claws, which is what lead me down the rabbit hole in the first place.

The consensus is that the claw number of a depicted dragon is actually a class indicator. Bear in mind that these observations stem from Chinese folklore and its place in Imperial Chinese law, so it might not hold water. And as always do correct me if I’m off in any of these points.

The number of claws and the colorations of dragons in Imperial China was an extremely important thing, and misrepresentations of these could quite literally get you and others executed for acts of treason.

Five clawed yellow or gold (or red during the Ming Dynasty) dragons are a symbol of imperial power for the emperor alone to use. It was illegal for nobles and civilians to wear anything depicting a five-clawed yellow or gold dragon in Imperial China. It was considered- as stated above- an act of treason, and offenders (and their families) could be imprisoned or executed for the crime.

Four clawed dragons are a symbol of nobility. Lesser in the hierarchy than the imperial dragon, but still a mark of high status. It was illegal for civilians to wear depictions of four-clawed dragons. Again, a treasonous act punishable by death or imprisonment under Imperial law.

Civilians could depict dragons with three claws. This was allowed.

So, we can make an assumption here that through these observations, the RA use the three clawed dragon as symbolic of the class warfare that is happening in the One Piece world. But there is another thing!!!

There are these things called Dragon Dance Competitions, where a nine-segmented dragon puppet is manipulated by a team of dancers and musicians to have the dragon chase a pearl- a symbol of wisdom- across the allocated space. These are very interesting to watch, and I highly recommend giving one a watch, since there are plenty of them to see on YouTube. Do take care if you are photosensitive or sound sensitive, as they are bright and loud.

A tradition for these competitions and others (such as lion dances and dragon boat races) is called an “eye dotting ceremony”, which happens at the beginning of the competition. An authorized party comes by to paint the pupils on a dragon to symbolically awaken or- relevant to this post- empower it.

The Celestial Dragon’s Claw is a symbol nobility, and likely has high amounts of regulation on how it can and cannot be used, with infractions on those regulations met with imprisonment at best, and cipher pol or a buster call at worst. It would be highly guarded, and was used to brand people to mark them as property, as we know.

The dragon depicted in the introduction to the Dragon Claw Fist that Sabo utilizes? Three claws, no pupils. It is an unempowered civilian dragon- a weakling by dragon standards- and it is beating the shit out of a World Government official.

Class warfare symbolism. Revolutionary symbolism.

[anqelbean]

Shen Yuan transmigrates into a doll

His body felt strangely stiff. He didn’t know if he was hot or cold, his skin felt like someone had injected the kind of anaesthesia that dentists use, it was there yet he could only feel it passively. 

He opened his eyes looking around…a workshop? Was he sitting on a table? Sunlight gleamed through the west window, golden rays making everything seem warmer yet Shen Yuan did not feel warm. He did not feel quite cold, either. It was…strange.

He looked down at himself. Bright snow white and glossy, with paintings of phthalo blue flowers, like the patterns on fine Ming dynasty china. His limbs were divided into different pieces, each held together by a ball to represent a joint. He moved his arms tentatively, marvelling at the craftsmanship, the fact that this was his body had not quite registered to him yet. 

Porcelain…he was made of porcelain.

“Goodness.” A voice spoke in front of him.

Shen Yuan slowly looked up, treating his new body as carefully as one would a priceless tea set. The man was wearing a worker’s clothes, covered in dried clay and paint. He was tall, his shoulders were broad, he had a striking poise. Shen Yuan felt a bit breathless.

The man’s hair was swept back and pinned on the top of his head, long waves of brown cascading down his back, leaving his face in full view. Between his brows was a red mark like a flame…a huadian? Black eyes, twinkling with some sort of cold light, like the sun peeking through clouds on a snowy winter day. They were wide, staring at Shen Yuan like he was a marvel, and well, the man was undeniably handsome. 

Shen Yuan’s feet dangled above the floor, so he slowly kicked them, like a child, as the man— the craftsman, he concluded, his creator— moved towards him with slow, careful steps.

How should Shen Yuan address him? Calling him father seemed…wrong. 

The man had come close enough that Shen Yuan could count his lashes, which were long and curved. The man looked at him in awe, the doll would have blushed if he had any blood to do so. The craftsman caressed his face and Shen Yuan leaned into the touch on instinct. He was delighted to learn he could feel the man’s hand as it stroked his cheek. How was that even possible? Did the porcelain skin have some kind of magic receptor? He could almost feel the man’s warmth.

“You can move,” The man said, and oh, was he not supposed to? He tilted his head in confusion, “Amazing, can you hear me?”

Shen Yuan nodded.

The man let out an incredulous sigh and smiled, holding Shen Yuan’s face with his hands, “I am Luo Binghe, I...”

Shen Yuan nodded once more, trying to signal that he understood. His lips seemed stuck in a smile, but he reckoned he could move them if he wanted to. He decided to stay silent.

Luo Binghe looked starstruck. 

Shen Yuan looked down, deciding to try and walk with his new legs. He slowly slipped off the table, making Luo Binghe yelp and try to help hold him up. Shen Yuan leaned into him, legs wobbly as he learned to use them. Luo Binghe held him like some sort of treasure. He decided he could get used to this life, with this sweet man by his side.

———

I got way too excited for this prompt. Porcelain Doll Shen Yuan shall live in my head rent free from now on.

[t4rt4gl14]

OVERSTIMULATING KAVEH !! [ MNDI ] [ 18+ ]

✿ [ WARNING(S) :: dom!read. sub!kaveh. overstimulation duhh. bondage. blindfold. blowjob. handjob. dacryphilia. throatpie. gender not specified. ]

kaveh moving into your house was one of the best things that happened to the both of you. waking up next to each other, cooking together and whatnot, but what was even better was the audible moans from your shared bedroom…NSFW UNDER THE CUT

kaveh found himself tied by the wrists to your bed, crawling over him with a silky blindfold in one hand and the other crawling under his shirt, “i’m gonna blindfold you now kaveh, alright?”, he shyly nods, closing his eyes for you in which you swiftly wrap the blindfold over his lashes. soft palms find their way to his pants, unzipping them— surprisingly he’s already hard; now another thing about kaveh is that he is surprisingly sensitive, just a lil grinding on his pants and the precum starts leaking.

you adjust yourself between his knees, kissing his abs and v-line, working your way down just until your lips peck the base of his cock, wrapping your hand around the length and slowly picking up a pace— kavehs reactions are so cute~, “f-faster..please~ ngh”, so shy! but alas, you oblige and keep stroking faster and faster, his hips bucking up to match your rhythm. “g-gonna cum- c-cum..ming!~”, he whines, hips lifting as his cum shoots out, cocktip turning a pretty pink colour. he was catching his breathe until…you started moving again, but this time with your tongue swirling on his slit.

“h-hey! why are you— i-i just- aaah~ mmnggh!~”, his words falter, his back arches and he attempts to close his legs out of instinct however you force them open, fuck; he’s so sensitive, it hurts but it feels so good. his second orgasm catches him by surprise, when you suddenly squeeze your hand tightly at his base; the cum spurting into your mouth; painting a milky white inside, “anghh! oohh-mm! cumming!~”, kaveh squeals; thinking this was his last orgasm…hehe he was wrong <3

now the third really took a toll on him, tears staining through the silk and his wrists tugging at the rope; body shivering and squirming; he throws his head back and completely shuts his legs, you engulf his whole cock, the tip hitting the back of your throat, and when your throat contracts; “hnn-aaaahhh!!! o-ohh archons— i-i can’t! m’too sensitive!~”, he mewls each time you bob your head up n down with loud, “ah! ah! ah!”. to think the best architect of Sumeru would be in such a state, chest heaving up and down. “h-hey! i-i feel like i’m gonna c-cum- cu- ahh!~ cumming!~ cummingcummingcumming~”, you’re pretty sure the neighbours could hear the moan that emerged from him next…your lips meet his pelvis and he cums right in your throat, lucky enough your reflexes haven’t caused you to gag.

you swallow all of his cum, and smile once you look back up at him, his whole body’s gone limp, his whole cock a furious red, nipples perking up, dick softening but twitching all the while…cutie kaveh <33

[balkanparamo]

Hu Ming - The East is Red

[chenfleur]

[16:31] “Oh, darling.”

Shivers run down your spine at Minghao's pitiful tone.

Your eyes are locked on the floor, running along each of its lines and discolourations, doing anything other than making eye contact. You tell yourself it's so he can't see the dreadful state you're in, when really, that was only half of the reason.

You know what expression he's wearing. Eyebrows furrowed, tongue poking his cheek, gaze flooded with in concern.

It's the one he wears when he's not quite satisfied with one of his paintings. The one he gave Mingyu when he was so close to caving and ringing up his ex.

The one he's undoubtedly giving you now.

"Ming- achoo! Minghao..." you whisper weakly.

You feel his slender hands slip into yours, soft, warm skin contrasting your frigid ones. The way he slightly shivers at the contact makes you cringe.

"Y/N... what happened?" he asks, eyes wide as he scans your figure.

Right before you left for Minghao's apartment complex, you'd taken one quick glance in the mirror. The sight left you groaning.

Your hair was astray, eyes puffy and red, body stiff and slouched. You almost forced yourself to sit in front of your vanity and attempt at making yourself look more presentable—but not a single fiber of your being could be bothered to pick up a hairbrush, let alone change clothes.

So, you closed your eyes, took a deep breath, and left despite feeling (and looking) like a mess. All you wanted was to fall into your boyfriend's care.

"I..." You wipe at your nose, nearly laughing as you recount the events that lead you to this point. "I went to a bar with Nayoung, Mieun, and Soonyoung yesterday. The new one, on the corner of Lanesfield and Stewart."

"I know that," Minghao deadpans, lacing his fingers with yours. "Y/N, there's no universe where this is just a hangover."

You scoff, swinging your intertwined hands back and forth. "You only say that because you have a high tolerance," you mumble, gaze cast aside.

"Are we going to stand here and argue forever, or are you going to just tell me what's wrong so I can help you?"

A sigh leaves your lips. "I just... got a little too drunk. Ran outside while it was raining. Played around for a while. It was a lot of fun. I haven't felt like that since I was a kid," you say, a ghost of a smile on your lips as memories of last night flash through your head.

Minghao's gaze softens. The image of you running around in the rain, wet hair and blinding smile, makes his heart swell in his chest.

"That sounds magical," he hums, bringing a hand up to stroke your hair. His touch makes you close your eyes.

"But... I don't think you should do it again, at least when you're drunk. Did you take a hot shower when you got home?"

You shake your head. "Passed out as soon as I unlocked the door."

A sigh. "I thought so."

Upon opening your eyes, you find that Minghao's expression has returned to the distressed one from before, his gaze boring into you. You frown, bringing your hand up and pressing your thumb against the area between his eyebrows to smooth out the crease. He eyes you curiously.

"Don't do that. You look like you're mad at me," you huff.

Bringing your hand up, he presses a feather-soft kiss to your knuckles. "I could never be mad at you."

You crack a smile, only for it to be immediately followed by a series of coughs. Recoiling ever so slightly, Minghao eyes you solemnly as you direct the coughing fit into the crook of your arm. Your voice is meek as you apologize after recovering.

Minghao shakes his head, his lips carefully pursed together. The sight of you so fragile pains him, especially when you're usually so strong and bright.

"Don't apologize," he whispers.

He presses the back of his hand to your forehead, gasping at the burning sensation.

"You're more sick than I thought," he mumbles, sliding his hand down the side of your face and letting it linger there.

"Let's go inside. Let me fix you, yeah?"

[chinesehanfu]

[Hanfu · 漢服]Chinese Song Dynasty(960–1279 AD)Emperor Traditional Ceremonies Clothing Hanfu in Cdrama <清平乐/Serenade of Peaceful Joy>

【Historical Reference Artifacts】:

Posthumous Portrait of Emperor Zhaowu of Song Dynasty  wearing TongTianGuanFu(通天冠服).

Palace Portrait of Emperor Shenzong of Song Dynasty wearing TongTianGuanFu(通天冠服).

The emperor wearing wearing TongTianGuanFu(通天冠服) in the Song Dynasty painting "Book of a girl's filial piety/女孝经图"

【History Note About Tongtianguanfu (Chinese: 通天冠服)】

Tongtianguanfu (Chinese: 通天冠服) is a form of court attire in hanfu which was worn by the Emperor during the Song dynasty on very important occasions, such as grand court sessions and during major title-granting ceremonies. The attire traces its origin from the Han Dynasty. It was also worn in the Jin dynasty Emperors when the apparel system of the Song dynasty was imitated and formed their own carriages and apparel system,and in the Ming dynasty. The tongtianguanfu was composed of a red outer robe, a white inner robe, a bixi, and a guan called tongtianguan（tongtian crown）, and a neck accessory called fangxin quling.

Among the Tongtianguanfu (Chinese: 通天冠服), the "Tongtian crown" which wear by emperor has a long history, and has been recorded as early as the Han Dynasty(202 BC –220 AD) in "Book of the Later Han·Yufu Zhixia/后汉书·舆服志下"：

“通天冠，高九寸，正竖，顶少邪（斜）却，乃直下为铁卷梁，前有山、展筒、为述，乘舆所常服。”

In the Han Dynasty, when all the officials paid their congratulations on the Zhēngyuè/正月 (the first month of the year in the Chinese calendar), the emperor would wear the "Tongtian crown". According to the Tongtian Crown, it existed in all dynasties from the Qin to the Ming Dynasty (except the Yuan Dynasty), and was abolished in the Qing Dynasty.

And the Tongtianguanfu (Chinese: 通天冠服) of the Han Chinese dynasties in China have gone through a certain amount of evolution.

For reference:

Han Dynasty(202 BC –220 AD) Tongtian crown/通天冠

The earliest form of Tongtian crown that can be seen so far comes from the Han Dynasty stone carvings.

The Tongtian Crown of this period has a similar structure to the Jinxian Crown(进贤冠) of the ministers.

Wei and Jin Dynasties-Southern and Northern Dynasties Tongtian crown/通天冠

Tang dynasty (618–907) Tongtian crown/通天冠

Ming dynasty (1368-1644) Tongtian crown/通天冠

The Tongtian crown of the Ming Dynasty was briefly used in the early years of Hongwu(the early ming dynasty), but was soon completely replaced by Pi Bian(皮弁), and its appearance was much lower-key than that of the Song Dynasty

after replace by Pi Bian crown(皮弁)：

This Pi Bian crown belonged to King Luhuang of the Ming Dynasty, so it only has 9 colorful beads, while the emperor's Pi Bian crown has 12 colorful beads on it.

※The Yuan Dynasty established by the Mongols and the Qing Dynasty established by the Manchus did not use this kind of crown and clothing※

[yamayuandadu]

"Nine-headed hermit": the early history of Zhong Kui (and his sister)

Gong Kai's painting Zhongshan Going on Excursion, showing Zhong Kui, his sister and various demons during a journey (wikimedia commons) Zhong Kui is probably one of the most recognizable figures from Chinese mythology today and continues to star in novels, movies and other works. However, his modern image largely depends on sources the Ming and Qing periods. In this article, I’ll attempt to instead shed some light on some lesser known aspects of his earlier history. You will be able to learn why he was called a “nine headed hermit” despite having only one head, what he had to do with foxes, when his sister was portrayed as an exorcist like him, and more. As a bonus, I’ve included a brief summary of Zhong Kui’s reception in medieval Japan.

The earliest history of Zhong Kui

Zhong Kui’s history goes all the way back to the Zhou period (most of the first millennium BCE). A homophone of his name (鍾馗), zhongkui (終葵; also zhongzui, 終椎) at the time referred to a type of ritual mallet used to expel demons. During the Six Dynasties period first cases of this term (now written as 鍾馗 ori 鍾葵) being used as a personal name start to pop up. The purpose was most likely to confer the protection granted by such objects to a child just through their name. Numerous cases are attested, and it doesn’t seem the bearers of the moniker Zhong Kui can be distinguished by a specific origin, social class or even gender. The earliest possible reference to a specific supernatural being named Zhong Kui comes from the Taishang Dongyuan Shenzhou Jing (太上洞淵神咒經; “Scripture of the Divine Incantations of the Abyssal Caverns of the Most High”), a Daoist work possibly composed as early as in the fourth century. The oldest surviving copy of the passage concerning Zhong Kui has been identified in a copy from Dunhuang dated to 664. He appears in it as an assistant of king Wu of Zhou and Confucius (sic) who helps them subjugate ghosts and disease demons. It is not impossible that to the compilers of Taishang Dongyuan Shenzhou Jing Zhong Kui was only a stand-in for an exorcist, though, not a single well defined figure. There’s an eyewitness account of such specialists dressing up in leopard skins, painting their faces red and announcing they are Zhong Kui in another, slightly newer Dunhuang text. It specifies that many Zhong Kui exist, and that they answer to the “General of Five Paths”, an originally apocryphal Buddhist figure eventually canonized as one of the kings of hell (you can find an excellent article about him here). In any case, regardless of the clear evidence for ambiguous use of the term in earlier times, it is agreed Zhong Kui became a well defined figure by the end of the Tang period. That’s also when legends about his origin started to circulate.

The legend of Zhong Kui

A typical depiction of Zhong Kui as a Tang period official by the Qing period artist Lü Xue (wikimedia commons)

According to the most popular version of Zhong Kui’s origin story, he was a scholar from the Zhongnan Mountains who lived during the reign of Gaozu of Tang (reigned 618-626). He took part either in the imperial examination or the imperial military examination (that’s an ahistorical detail - it was established by Wu Zetian in 702), but failed. This detail is not elaborated upon further in early accounts, but by the Ming period it was attributed not to lack of skill but rather to prejudice against Zhong Kui’s physical appearance (he is fairly consistently described as dark-skinned, unusually tall, with a bulbous head and excessive facial hair). It’s possible that this new backstory was based in part on experiences of real officials of foreign origin, whose appearance was sometimes mocked by their peers, as already documented in Tang sources. Another possibility is that the descriptions were meant to be exaggerated to the point of making him resemble a demon, though. Either way, out of despair caused by failure Zjong Kui committed suicide by smashing his head against the steps leading to the imperial palace. However, since in his final words he swore to protect the emperor and his realm, he didn’t return as a vengeful ghost, but rather as a queller of malevolent supernatural entities. Alternatively, he took this role out of gratitude for Gaozu, who was saddened by his death and organized the burial worthy of an honored official for him. Note that in later plays which often serve as the basis for modern adaptations, the burial is typically arranged by a certain Du Ping (杜平), a friend of Zhong Kui from back home. Apparently a version in which the kings of hell are so impressed by Zhong Kui that they decide to make him the king of the ghosts also exists, though I was unable to track down its original source. In any case, he is associated with Mount Fengdu - one of the terms referring to the realm of the dead - in a poem by Song Wu (宋无; 1260–1340) already. He, or at least generic clerk figures based on his iconography, also sometimes appear in Song period paintings of the Ten Kings.

Several Zhong Kui-like clerks from a depiction of hell in Sermon on Mani's Teaching of Salvation (wikimedia commons)

According to Shih-shan Huang a single example of such a figure has even been identified in a Manichaean context, specifically in the scroll Sermon on Mani’s Teaching on Salvation.

Manichaean curiosities aside, supposedly the first person to be aided by Zhong Kui was emperor Xuanzong of Tang. At some point he fell gravely ill. In a dream, he saw a demon who attempted to steal a flute which was one of his most prized possessions. However, the attempt was foiled by a fearsome giant, who dealt with the thief rather brutally, poking out one of his eyes and then devouring him. After completing this act of demon quelling, he explained that he is Zhong Kui, and how he came to fulfill his current role. After waking up, Xuanzong felt healthy again. He was so impressed he commissioned Wu Daozi, arguably the most famous artist in China at the time, to prepare a painting of Zhong Kui which could be used as a talisman against any further supernatural issues. Supposedly it left quite the impression on the general populace, and soon numerous images of Zhong Kui started to be distributed as talismans. There is definitely a kernel of truth to this part of the legend, as eyewitness accounts of Wu Daozi’s painting exist, but the work itself is lost. As a side note, it’s worth pointing out the flute thief demon, despite meeting a gruesome end here, enjoyed a literary afterlife of his own. A certain Li Mingfeng (李鳴鳳), the author of a colophon on one of the earliest surviving Zhong Kui paintings, suggests that the (in)famous rebel An Lushan might have been a reincarnation of this specific entity. While I am not aware of any other attempts at providing him with a backstory, in Ming period retellings of the legend, he received a name, Xu Hao (虛耗).

Zhong Kui’s later career

Zhong Kui’s popularity grew after the Tang period, and he arguably eclipsed figures such as the fangxiang (方相) or the baize (白沢) as the demon queller par excellence. Legends about his origin and his first notable act of demon quelling which I summarized above spread far and wide during the reign of the Song dynasty. After becoming a well defined figure, Zhong Kui came to be most commonly classified as a ghost (鬼; gui). In texts from the Song and Yuan periods he is often labeled more specifically as a “big ghost” (大鬼, dagui) or “ghost hero” (鬼雄, guixiong). However, his popularity effectively made him a god in popular imagination, and as a matter of fact he is referred to as such. His divinity is not exactly conventional, though. This topic is addressed in Fu Lu Shou Xianguan Qinghui 福祿壽仙官慶會 (The Immortal Officials of Happiness, Wealth and Longevity Gather in Celebration) by the Ming playwright Zhu Youdun (朱有燉; 1379-1435). Zhong Kui says himself that unlike his peers, he has no festival to call his own, and receives no regular offerings - and yet, he still vanquishes malicious entities on behalf of humans as long as talismans showing him continue to be distributed.

Interestingly, despite his long career in texts, no images of Zhong Kui older than the thirteenth century are known. This is mostly a matter of selective preservation, though - we know that depictions of him existed as early as in the ninth century, and that they were mass produced, presumably as woodblock prints, in the tenth. However, he didn’t necessarily look similar to his modern depictions. He actually only came to be depicted as a Tang scholar in the Song period. It seems earlier his costume might have varied. One thing which seemingly remained consistent when it comes to Zhong Kui’s appearance is his facial hair. This feature is even emphasized in many of his epithets, such as “Old Beard” (老髯, Lao Ran), “Bearded Elder” (髯翁, Ran Wong) or “Bearded Lord” (髯君, Ran Jun). It’s possible that this was initially a way to highlight his vitality and his opposition to disease-causing demons. Tang and Song sources indicate the state of facial hair could be viewed as an indicator of health. There’s even a handful of peculiar anecdotes about certain emperors, like Taizong of Tang or Renzong of Song, believing their facial hair has supernatural healing powers and offering ailing courtiers concoctions in which it was one of the ingredients. There’s no evidence Zhong Kui’s hair was ever believed to serve a similar purpose, though. Not all of Zhong Kui’s titles revolve around his beard, though. An interesting example is “Nine-Headed Hermit” (九首山人). The intent isn’t to imply he has nine heads, it’s a multilayered pun instead. The character 馗 in Zhong Kui’s name is a combination of 九, “nine”, and 首, “head”. Referring to him as a “hermit”, literally “man of the mountain”, is likely supposed to show that he traverses areas traditionally believed to be inhabited by demons.

The nine-headed snake Xiangliu (wikimedia commons)

Chun-Yi Tsai suggests that this title also highlights Zhong Kui’s physical prowess by implicitly evoking “a nine-headed serpent known for its tremendous strength in Guideways through Mountains and Seas” (presumably Xiangliu).

Zhong Kui’s strength lets him punish his enemies in various unexpectedly creative ways. The earliest sources already mention he could grind vanquished demons in a mill, for instance. References to eating them are particularly common. Depending on the source, Zhong Kui might simply devour them whole, hunt and prepare them like game animals, chop them up to pickle them, mince them to prepare meat snacks, squeeze them to make juice and wine, and so on. Such comedically gruesome descriptions are generally limited to textual sources, since violence was rarely depicted in other mediums, even in relation to military topics. Wu Daozi’s lost painting was apparently one of the exceptions, as according to a tenth century description it showed Zhong Kui gouging out the eyes of the captured demon.

Zhong Kui’s sister and other assistants

While Zhong Kui is often depicted in the company of nondescript demons, there are relatively few recurring figures associated with him. The main exception is his sister. The Song period painter Gong Kai (龔開) and his contemporary Li Mingfeng (李鳴鳳) simply refer to her as Amei (阿妹), literally “younger sister”, though here it’s apparently a personal name, following Chun-yi Tsai’s interpretation. Her origin is unknown, and she is not present in any of the early variants of the legend. 

Zhong Kui Marrying Off His Sister (wikimedia commons)

Today Zhong Kui’s sister is known chiefly from works of art in various mediums which can be broadly subsumed under the label “Zhong Kui marrying off his sister” (鍾馗嫁妹, Zhong Kui jiamei) which proliferated through the Ming and Qing periods. This label is sometimes applied to earlier paintings too, for example Zhong Kui Marrying Off His Sister (鍾馗嫁妹圖, Zhong Kui jiamei tu) is the conventional modern title of a scroll attributed to the poorly known painter Yan Geng (顏庚). A colophon from the Ming period describing this work calls the figure presumed to be Zhong Kui’s sister Ayi (阿姨; an informal way to refer a maternal aunt) as opposed to Amei. Chun-yi Tsai states it is not impossible that the woman is supposed to be Zhong Kui’s wife, rather than his sister, though. The painting can be dated to the Yuan period, and there is no evidence for the story of Zhong Kui marrying off his sister before the Ming plays - granted, it is not impossible that it was already in circulation earlier. Still, other paintings showing Zhong Kui marrying off his sister only date to the Qing period. Additionally, the procession might be a parody of paintings showing rural marriages or couples moving to a new house. 

While as far as I am aware this eventually went out of fashion, in early sources Zhong Kui’s sister could be portrayed as an exorcist herself. An example can be found in one of the sermons of the Chan monk Yuanwu (圓悟; 1063–1135), in which he states that celebrations on the “Double Fifth” (端午節, duanwu jie) - the fifth day of the fifth month - involved a dance of “Zhong Kui and his little sister”. A reference to performers dressed up as the pair (as well as kings of hell, gods of soil and stove, various warrior deities and more) has alsobeen identified in an account of celebrations in Kaifeng from the end of the reign of the Northern Song dynasty.

Similar evidence can be found in art too. For example, Zheng Yuanyou (鄭元祐; 1292-1364) in a poem inspired by a painting titled Zhong Kui’s Sister (馗妹圖; as far as I am aware, this work has not been identified) states that she travels alongside her brother, that she’s armed with a sword, and that demons fear her. A related portrayal of her is known from a critical review of the works of Si Yizhen (姒頤真), a Song dynasty painter. According to Gong Kai, in one of his paintings she is shown in tattered (or unbuttoned - the term used, 披襟, can mean both) clothes, and chases away a boar attacking her brother. He was evidently not fond of this innovation, and criticizes it as “vulgar” and inappropriate. It needs to be stressed that Gong Kai’s displeasure wasn’t necessarily tied to presenting Zhong Kui’s sister as a demon queller, though. In fact, he is actually the author of the most famous work portraying her in this role. 

Gong Kai's take on Zhong Kui's sister and her attendants (wikimedia commons; cropped for the ease of viewing)

Gong Kai depicted Amei in unusual black makeup, which is also worn by female demons accompanying her (note the one carrying a kitty!). This might be a parody of the sanbai (三白; “three whites”) face painting popular in the Song period. She and her attendants wear robes decorated with depictions of the “five poisons” (五毒), a term referring to animals perceived as particularly dangerous and inauspicious. The exact list varies, though centipedes, scorpions and snakes in particular are mainstays. The five poisons are directly associated with Zhong Kui, as he can be invoked to ward them off. Direct evidence first appears in the Qing period in accounts of the well known Dragon Boat Festival, but it’s not impossible this was an earlier development.

It is presumed that Gong Kai’s painting might depict Zhong Kui and Amei looking for a demonic version of Yang Guifei, as indicated by various hints in colophons. Her portrayals in art are quite diverse, but attributing demonic traits to her would be hardly unparalleled - she could even be described as a “palace demon” (宮妖, gong yao). The decline of the Tang dynasty was blamed on her, and metaphorically she might have been invoked to criticize other people believed to improperly use the power granted to them by the imperial court.

Gong Kai’s painting also depicts a less recurring member of Zhong Kui’s entourage. One of the demons carries a fox, specifically a nine-tailed specimen. The association between this animal and Zhong Kui goes all the way back to the early Tang period. In one of the Dunhuang manuscripts, the demon queller’s entourage includes a nine-tailed fox and a baize, who acted as bringers of good luck alongside him. It’s also worth pointing out that in another text from the same site, his mount during the hunt for a wangliang (魍魎; I will likely cover this entity a future article, stay tuned) is a “wild fox”. Chun-Yi Tsai attributes the inclusion of a nine-tailed fox among Zhong Kui’s servants as a “family pet” of sorts to the portrayals of this supernatural creature both as an apotropaic antidote to poison (including the five poisons) and as a demon in its own right. It would be a suitable member of Zhong Kui’s entourage both as a conquered malevolent being and as an amplifier for his exorcistic, protective power. A further possibility is that the association is the result of wordplay. A new year celebration involving a procession of people dressed up as members of Zhong Kui’s entourage, including his sister and various supernatural attendants, was known as dayehu (打夜胡). The homphony between 胡 and 狐, “fox”, might have resulted in the inclusion of the animal among the helpers.

Post scriptum: Zhong Kui in Japan

Zhong Kui, as depicted in Extermination of Evil (wikimedia commons)

Zhong Kui - or rather Shōki, following the Japanese reading of his name - probably reached Japan in the Insei period. Many other figures originating in China reached a considerable degree of popularity in Japan at roughly the same time - Taishan Fujun, Siming, Wudao Dashen, Pangu, Shennong, the examples keep piling up.

The oldest known Japanese depiction of Zhong Kui, which you can see above, is a painting from the twelfth century set known as Extermination of Evil. It might look a bit outlandish compared to most of the other depictions shown through this article, but I was able to locate a very close Chinese parallel:

A Yuan period depiction of Zhong Kui from the collection of the Beijing Library, via Richard von Glahn’s Sinister Way. Reproduced here for educational purposes only.

This is a Yuan period illustration said to be based on Wu Daozi’s painting. Zhong Kui doesn’t look like a Tang scholar yet, and the jacket and wide-brimmed hat are remarkably similar. It seems safe to assume that the Japanese painter was following a similar model - presumably one of the many now lost early depictions of Zhong Kui. Slightly antiquated iconography surviving far away from the core area associated with a specific figure would hardly be unparalleled - it has been recently suggested that the baize/hakutaku is a similar case, with Japanese depictions and descriptions matching Tang sources fairly closely, but missing the elements which developed in the Song period or later. For the most part, Zhong Kui fulfilled a similar role in Japan as in China: he was regarded as a fearsome demon queller, and images representing him were distributed for apotropaic purposes. However, it’s also important to note that there were certain innovations. He arrived in Japan at the brink of the middle ages - theologically speaking an era of unparalleled innovation, during which both native and imported figures were interpreted in unexpected ways, leading to the rise of a new “medieval mythology”. Zhong Kui was hardly an exception from this trend. A “medieval myth” involving Zhong Kui is known from Hoki Naiden (ほき内伝; “Inner Tradition of the Square and the Round Offering Vessels”), an onmyōdō treatise traditionally attributed to Abe no Seimei, but most likely written by one of his descendants in the fourteenth century. Curiously, Zhong Kui’s name is written in it as 商貴 instead of the expected 鍾馗.

Tenkeisei (wikimedia commons)

In the Hoki Naiden, Zhong Kui is still a queller of malevolent supernatural beings. However, instead of being a scorned scholar, he is a yaksha who became the ruler of Rājagṛha, a city in India. He is said to correspond to both the medieval Japanese deity Gozu Tennō (牛頭天王), and to his celestial “double” Tenkeisei (天刑星; from Chinese Tianxingxing), the “star of heavenly punishment” (I covered him here). They are said to be his manifestations respectively on earth and in heaven. This equation might seem random at first glance, but both of them actually had a lot in common with Zhong Kui: all three were believed to keep demons, especially those causing diseases, in check. Curiously, the reinterpretation of Zhong Kui as a yaksha turned king can also be found in the Genkō Shakusho (元亨釈書), a Kamakura period Buddhist history book. However, I am not aware of any studies examining it in more detail. I assume identifying him as a yaksha was a result of association with Gozu Tennō (I briefly discussed his yaksha credentials here), rather than the other way around, though.

While Hoki Naiden ultimately pertains more to medieval than modern religion, it’s worth noting that an unconventional take on Zhong Kui is still part of an extant tradition. Through history, Zhong Kui could be identified as a dōsojin (道祖神). This term denotes a class of deities meant to protect roads, crossroads and borders of villages. In parts of the Niigata prefecture this form of him is sometimes referred to as Shōki Daimyōjin (鍾馗大明神) today.

Bibliography

Joshua Capitanio, Epidemics and Plague in Premodern Chinese Buddhism

Bernard Faure, Rage and Ravage (Gods of Medieval Japan vol. 3)

Richard von Glahn, The Sinister Way: The Divine and the Demonic in Chinese Religious Culture

Shih-shan Susan Huang, Picturing the True Form. Daoist Visual Culture in Traditional China

Wilt Idema & Stephen H. West, Zhong Kui at Work: A Complete Translation of The Immortal Officials Of Happiness, Wealth, and Longevity Gather in Celebration , by Zhu Youdun (1379–1439)

Chun-Yi Joyce Tsai, Imagining the Supernatural Grotesque: Paintings of Zhong Kui and Demons in the Late Southern Song (1127-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) Dynasties

[redrandomposts]

tgcf crack au where there are three (two clones) hua chengs in the world

the flame master, wrapped in black clothes with bright red embroidery. eye covered with an eyepatch, reclusive, and when seen out of his palace is harsh. yet, somehow, the flame master became one of the most worshipped gods in heaven, his "flame" expanding to ghost fires and love. why?

an immortal priest, who wanders the lands. a sculptor, painter, devout worshipper. wearing red and white clothes, looking youthful and mischievous. he has a hand in the most breathtaking idols of the flame master, as well as a companion always by the flame master in his art pieces—a figure clad in white, sword and flower in hand.

a calamity in crimson and silver and black, lighting temples to flames and drawing blood with silver butterflies. in an ominous, crescent-smile mask, constructed a city for ghosts and became the bane of heaven. fell thirty-three gods with his martial arts and intellegence, until worshippers turned to him.

what do they have in common?

they are the same person. hua cheng; san lang; wu ming.

===

notes:

hua cheng imparts some "self" into the clones so they are basically apart of him

when hua cheng creates the ghost clone, he wants to remedy all mistakes wu ming made. he despises wu ming for being powerless. he also uses it as a lure, incase his highness did remember him.

san lang is actually a priest for dianxia, but he also wants to grow power as a god. so. even if he were ugly, he's willing to paint his highness next to him for the power to protect his highness.

with every passing day, wu ming grows more and more self-conscious, because his highness still isnt here, did his highness truly hate him? should he change, become unrecognizable, because his highness wouldn't come if he were there?

...anyways i think san lang should suffer a bit

while passing through yong'an, he witnesses the whole shebakle. in a panic, he shapeshifts into xie lian, effectively diverting all the punishment that should come. unfortunately, even if he were a clone, he still felt all the pain and isolation, and the talismans prevented him from escaping. later, after a few decades when he's finally tracked down, he has to he absorbed back into hua cheng because of the mental damage. hua cheng has to isolate himself after to calm his spirit (the only reason lang qianqiu isnt dead).

its just that i think xie lian should not be in the coffin. hes been through enough

anyways imagine if there were fanfiction about the priest and the god—oh wait.

yeah hua cheng discovers self-cest made by enthusiastic believers. idk would be rlly funny though

hey is there any active hua cheng clones in the books?? asking because i kind of am too lazy to reread it

[journeytothewestresearch]

So, what IS the Samadhi Fire/True Fire of Samadhi? It can't be an average flame if it can take out Sun Wukong himself in JttW and the name sounds like it means something, but I can't find any context when I look it up.

Journey to the West states that Samādhi fire is not like earthly or heavenly flame. It is something more. Part of a poem in chapter 41 reads:

(Wu & Yu, 2012, vol. 2, p. 225)

The general concept of Samādhi (Sk: "concentration"; Ch: sanmei, 三昧) refers to an advanced level of meditation where one can "establish and maintain one-pointedness of mind on a specific object of concentration" (Buswell & Lopez, 2014, p. 743). Some Hindu and Buddhist sources associate it with a spiritually cleansing flame. One example comes from the Gaṇḍavyūha section of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Ch: Dafang guangfo huayan jing, 大方廣佛華嚴經; compiled by the 3rd or 4th-century CE). 

Sudhana (Ch: Shancai tongzi, 善財童子; i.e. Red Boy), the holy work's protagonist, seeks out 53 teachers in the course of his spiritual cultivation. His ninth instructor, a learned Brahmin named Jayoṣmāyatana (Ch: Shengre poluomen, 勝熱婆羅門; lit: "Victorious Heat Brahmin") is said to have achieved "the light of the concentration [i.e. Samādhi] of adamantine flame" (jingang yan sanmei guangming, 金剛焰三昧光明) (Clearly, 1993, p. 1218). The fire that he produces is so powerful that it scares even the gods and demons. Though, the point of the flames appears to be incineration of the ego and desires and illumination of the mind. Sudhana follows his instructions by throwing himself into the fire, thus gaining a higher level of spiritual knowledge.

Here is a translation of that section of the sutra (warning: it is wordy):

(Clearly, 1993, pp. 1217-1222)

A Song or Ming-era Japanese painting of the fire brahmin and Sudhana.

Sources:

Buswell, R. E. , & Lopez, D. S. (2014). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press.

Cleary, T. (1993). The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra. Boston: Shambhala.

Wu, C., & Yu, A. C. (2012). The Journey to the West (Vols. 1-4) (Rev. ed.). Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press.

[mypulse]

A collection of mini fun facts : I'll explain them base on the sequence of the geography (MAP)

The CAPITALs : (orange circles)

Last time I talked about how palace in the anime take reference of Forbidden Palace,  🏛️ which is located in ☆Beijing, the capital city of Ming and Qing Dynasty.

However Xi'an🏛️ (aka ★ChangAn) is the capital city of TANG Dynasty,

which is the clothing style of the characters. (ChangAn is the ancient name of Xi'an)

FASHION :

During TANG, ★ChangAn, was a cosmopolitan and multicultural city since it is the starting destination of 🐫 Silk Road.

Ah Dou is wearing a riding suit, know as Hufu 👕. It was a fashion among the noble ladies to wear Hufu for horse ride🐴 . Hufu is male clothing of the *Western region (part of 🐫 Silk Road). [ *West is Central Asia, not Europe]

LOULAN : (red on map)

Maomao was curious of 💐Concubine Loulan who has Northen facial feature while wearing Southern outfit. In history, LouLan was the name of an ancient 👑kingdom at *Western region. It's location is modern Xinjiang near the now dried salt lake Lop Nur (MAP). The carved wooden beam above is an artifact of Loulan Kingdom.👑

NAIL POLISH :

Just as the anime, Balsam is a major ingredient for 💅nail polish (also for blush and lip color).

Balsam flowers are usually found in Central, East and South of Asia. When my grandma was a girl, she grounded the flower patels and apply them on nails then wait for a while , letting the juice to stain the nails before getting rid of the residue.

In ancient time, 💅 nail polish are made of juice of the grounded petals of balsam mixing with potassium alum. This chemical is used in drugs and silk painting / writing. 📚

WRITING :

Silk is more often used for painting than writing since it is expensive. Potassium alum is applied on silk as preparation for painting and writing.

Other than silk, bamboo and wooden slips were being used for writing, before paper is commonly used.

OX BEZOARS :

🐃 Ox bezoars (the drugs that turns Maomao into "upper moon demon" ) is used for de-toxing. 牛黃 is Chinese and kanji character of ox bezoars. Nowadays, it's made into tablet form know as 牛黃「解毒」片. In this context 「解毒」is meaning de-toxing. But some people mistaken 「解毒」means de - posion and think 牛黃「解毒」片 (Ox bezoars) can get rid of poison intaken by individuals, since Maomao mentioned to JinShin to use poison if she is ever facing death penalty.