(Three Kingdoms 1994 fansubs) Gentlemen of the Hàn

one sheet; dark-skinned man with mouth open, riding a black horse with trappings decorated with red tassels; man holds a red, blue and gold staff and wears predominately green and yellow kimono; horse is crossing a red bridge with green and yellow panels; mountain visible in middle ground behind side of bridge at right Zhang Fei (Jap.: Chō Hi; d. 221) was a great fighter and one of the so-called Five Tiger Generals during the Chinese Three Kingdoms (220–80) period. He fought for Liu Bei (161–223), who had crowned himself as the emperor of Shu state. In 220, Liu Bei attacked a rival kingdom, Wu, to regain control over the lost state of Jing, and Zhang Fei was assassinated by two of his subordinates. This powerful portrait shows him during the Battle of Changban in 208, standing on the bridge, shaking his lance, and daring the opposing forces to attack him.

Zhang Fei of the Yan People https://collections.artsmia.org/art/127840/

Perhaps as the common adage goes; "sailing the high seas" is your only option

a thing I really love about Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the way that characters will warp the genre of the story around them due to the way the narrative is based on folklore. Whenever Zhuge Liang is onscreen it's either ace attorney debate time or absurd, borderline-magic levels of prediction

2/3 "I have a peach tree that bears fruit once in a thousand years. Who dared to steal my peaches? Seek Dong Shuangcheng for answers." This not only alludes to Dongfang Shuo's theft but also hints at his affair with Dong Shuangcheng, the fairy who guarded the peach orchard. In "Journey to the West," there's also a scene depicting Dongfang Shuo stealing peaches. On his way to meet the Jade Emperor, Sun Wukong encounters Dongfang Shuo. Sun Wukong insults Dongfang Shuo as a petty thief, while Dongfang Shuo retorts by calling Sun Wukong an old thief. Around the age of 22, Dongfang Shuo accompanied a group of seafaring Taoists sent by Emperor Wu on an overseas exploratory voyage. Some believe that he even reached the North Pole. In the preface to his "Records of the Ten Continents Within the Seas," Dongfang Shuo writes, "I... accompanied my master on a journey: north to Zhu Ling, Fusang, the蜃海 (Mirage Sea), the Hill of Eternal Night, and the Hill of Pure Yang..."

Long before silver-screen thieves plotted their perfect crimes, China had Dongfang Shuo, the original trickster.
A witty Han Dynasty scholar who outsmarted gods themselves, he stole the Queen Mother’s peaches of immortality not once, but three times, even convincing her fairy guards...
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1/3 The story of the Queen Mother of the West gifting peaches to Emperor Wu can be found in Zhang Hua's "Book of Strange Things" from the Jin Dynasty. As the Queen Mother presented the peaches to the Emperor, Dongfang Shuo was peeking from the vermilion bird window in the south chamber of the palace. Upon seeing Dongfang Shuo, the Queen Mother told the Emperor, "The one peeking from the vermilion bird window has stolen my peaches of immortality three times." The Emperor was astonished by this revelation. Since then, it became widely believed that Dongfang Shuo was an immortal. The peaches of immortality only bear fruit every three thousand years, and Dongfang Shuo's three thefts suggest that he had witnessed three cycles of peach ripening. Another legend tells of a Taoist priest named Song Yuanxing from the Song Dynasty who unearthed a bronze tablet under a bridge. The inscription on the tablet read,

3/3 It is highly likely that this passage describes the phenomenon of the midnight sun and polar night observed in the Arctic region, as recorded in ancient Asian literature. Dongfang Shuo's "Classic of Strange Things: Records of the Northern Wilderness" states, "In the north, layers of ice stretch for ten thousand miles, a hundred zhang thick. There are 'stone rats' living in the soil beneath the ice. They move like rats..." The "rats" described here closely resemble muskoxen, the only extant mammals living in the Arctic region. Others believe that these creatures refer to mammoths found in the permafrost.

to help. Half mortal, half myth, Dongfang laughed his way into legend, trading divine rules for clever riddles. His playful rivalry with the Monkey King marks him as the patron saint of thieves, and the immortal spirit of mischief in Chinese #folklore.

Check image ALT for the story.
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The first 2-3 seasons were on Netflix, but not sure how things have changed since. It does however mean there are English subtitles that you can find.

Yep, this is why the show has an infamy and seen as the black sheep of the series. It's reputation in the Chinese fandom is very similar to the the last season of Game of Thrones.

The other seasons of the Qin Empire series are still beloved shows however, so it's recommended to watch those instead.

Liu Chen pogging during the worst possible moment (Romance of the Three Kingdoms episode 83)

Gooooood morning peoples
Spent my entire afternoon/evening working on subtitles/proofreading 1994 Romance of the Three Kingdoms episodes, and it was worth it
Friendly reminder to check out @hanzhonglang.bsky.social and RotTK '94, you don't get a lot of shows like it these days

georgia-lux @georgialux.bsky.social hey "nice" long flowing beard haha it fuckin sucks you hipster asshole [he turns around and reveals he is Heavenly Lord Guan Yu from the 2000 years of veneration] oh fuck September 17, 2023 at 1:32 PM

In the minds of its Chinese audience, the answer is a strong yes and its not even close. 1994 is still a much beloved classic while 2010's reputation is more mixed.

Qin Dynasty Epic is known to be pretty infamous for its pacing issues especially compared to its much more lauded prior seasons in the Qin Empire series

This is Shu, bitch!

Literary Chinese is literally oops all references

Anonymous Chinese painting Southern Song dynasty 1127 to 1279

Anonymous Chinese painting
Southern Song dynasty
1127 to 1279

#MenWithCats

A "Which argument will appeal to voters" meme, but about the claimants to the throne during the Three Kingdoms era. WHICH ARGUMENT WILL APPEAL TO ALL UNDER HEAVEN? Cao Pi: "We performed all the necessary rites to transfer the Mandate of Heaven." Liu Bei: "I am a direct descendant of the Emperor Jing. The Han are not yet extinguished." Sun Quan: "A yellow dragon appeared in my back yard"

You’ve seen the golden waving cats of fortune, but few know their ancient cousin perched silently on Chinese rooftops: the Tile Cat (瓦猫).
Born from kiln and superstition, these ceramic guardians watch over homes from the eaves, warding off fire, demons, and
#yaoguai #caturday 1/2

🎨 《闹天宫》刘继卣 The Seven Fairies looked around, and they only saw a half-red and half-white peach on the southern branch. The girl in green pulled down the branch with her hand, the girl in red picked the peach, and then they placed the branch back up. It turned out that the Great Sage had transformed into a two-inch tall figure and was sleeping on this branch, but he was awakened by them. The Great Sage revealed his true form, pulled out the golden hoop from his ear, waved it once, and it instantly expanded to the thickness of a bowl. He shouted, "Whoever you are, daring to boldly steal my peaches!"

Sun Wukong’s “Seventy-Two Transformations” go beyond shapeshifting. With a flicker of thought, he becomes beast, breeze, child, or crone. Gender, form, role, none can bind him.
🎨 《闹天宫》刘继卣
#JTTW #monkeyKing #SunWukong

YouTube video by Accented Cinema The Cinematic Themes and Visuals of Ancient China - Part 1 | Video Essay

Maybe this series can help you? youtu.be/jhPog62tBbI?...

An entire universe in a ceiling: in the Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum 北京古代建筑博物馆，a preserved Ming dynasty caisson ceiling from the Longfu Temple. 隆福寺. Concentric rings house stacks of buildings. A star chart, the cosmos, in the centre.

Ming Dynasty textbooks

YouTube video by Love FanSub Eng Sub | Judge of Song Dynasty, 大宋提刑官, Ep 1 [Love Fansub]

A detective show based on Song Ci already does exist.

It's called Judge of Song Dynasty and it's a very popular historical detective drama in China: youtu.be/VOhEauMws-0?...

Watch Sabaton’s New Epic Video For “A Tiger Among Dragons” For “A Tiger Among Dragons,” SABATON drew upon inspiration for the song based on Lü Bu, known as the “Flying General,” one of the fiercest warriors in ancient China. During the chaos of the late Han Dynasty, he rose to legendary status with unmatched strength, insane skill with his halberd Sky Piercer and his lightning-fast horse, Red Hare. His duel at Hulao Pass, where he took on the best fighters of the era, sealed his place as a true legend.

Watch Sabaton’s New Epic Video For “A Tiger Among Dragons”

For “A Tiger Among Dragons,” SABATON drew upon inspiration for the song based on Lü Bu, known as the “Flying General,” one of the fiercest warriors in ancient China. During the chaos of the late Han Dynasty, he rose to legendary status…

screenshot from Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The camera sits behind a soldier on horseback as a crowd of enemies charge towards him

addressing all my haters online

One of the things that gets lost in translation is how rhythmic & fun to read the prose of the original Journey to the West is.
Best way I can describe it is "Imagine if Dragonball was Written instead of Drawn"

Esp. when for most of its existence, this is how story would've actually been read:

Actually, only Cao Cao claimed in his letter to Sun Quan that Zhou Yu won mostly due to plague, but by all accounts otherwise his forces were defeated by Zhou Yu as told.

Meng Po's task is to ensure that departing souls forget their past lives and experiences in the underworld to prevent past emotions from disturbing karmic retribution. She brews a potent "Meng Po Soup(Forgetfulness Soup)" from herbs and the mesmerizing waters of the "River of Forgetfulness." This potion induces various ailments upon arrival in the mortal realm, prompting reflection and repentance for past deeds.

Would you willingly let go of everything you’ve ever known to start anew?
Meng Po, the Lady of Forgetfulness in Chinese #mythology, is said to wait by the Naihe Bridge, where souls must cross to their next life.
With her mysterious Meng Po Soup, 1/2

she offers not nourishment, but oblivion, erasing all memories of past lives in a single sip.
More in ALT. 2/2

Liu Bei in history is not straightforwardly a hero like in romanticized stories, but many of those same traits still hold true, and him going out of his way of protecting ordinary people of Xinye, as well as employing officers and officials who are known to be benevolent.

Liu Bei is popularly considered the people's hero as he came from a lower social status, depicted as a shoe-seller in Romance, who rose through the ranks through leadership and charisma, gathering many other talents and folk heroes around him and forming his own state eventually.

A terrible attempt at drawing Sima Yi from the show Advisors Alliance. He's looking pensive.

💜 Daily #Skebuki No. 56
( #Sketch #AdvisorsAlliance #SimaYi )