Unruly Phoenix Xiaoyao

Even after getting what they wanted, there’s still plans for cleanup in the process. 

‘ello guys! The results of the  are in. 4 UPX chapters were up for grabs in the , while 2 more were unlock-able via a 8k responses milestone reward.

Readers got 1 of 4 questions correct, and the quiz reached ALL MILESTONE GOALS. As a result, I’ll be releasing 3 chapters of UPX today. Answers and explanations are below!

This famous Chinese vernacular novel written in the 16th century tells the story of one dynasty's fall and another dynasty's rise against a backdrop rich in Chinese mythology. One of the main characters is a divine strategist who attracts the attention of the local king by:

Most readers got this one right, so congrats. 

Explanation: The novel in question is Investiture of the Gods (封神演義), also known as Fengshen Yanyi or Fengshen Bang. Written during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it tells the decline of the Shang Dynasty and the rise of the Zhou Dynasty. Deities, spirits, and other immortals play a large role throughout the book. The “divine strategist” mentioned in the question is Jiang Ziya, who fished with a straight hook and no bait to attract King Wen of Zhou. Their meeting was predicted by a divination: While hunting on the north bank of the Wei river you will get a great catch. It will not be any form of dragon, nor a tiger or great bear. According the signs, you will find a duke or marquis there whom Heaven has sent to be your teacher. If employed as your assistant, you will flourish and the benefits will extend to three generations of Zhou Kings.

Eventually, Jiang Ziya helped lead King Wen and his successor, King Wu, to successfully overthrow the Shang Dynasty and establish 800 years of reign.

This legendary figure from ancient China invited an extraordinary method for record-keeping that caused a miraculous event to happen: showers of grain fell from the skies. He was commonly depicted in pictures with these extra body parts:

Most readers picked: 2. Arms

Explanation: The legendary figure here is Cangjie, said to be the inventor of Chinese characters. When he created such characters, millet rained from the skies and the deities and ghosts cried (especially now that written incantations could exist and affect them). He was said to have four eyes and often depicted as such in artworks. Before Cangjie’s work, much of humankind kept record through tying knots on rope.

In Chinese philosophy, Yin and Yang represent opposite principles. Yin is the negative/passive/female nature, while Yang is the positive/active/male nature. Too much of either causes an imbalance and can be harmful. There is one day in the Chinese Lunar Calendar known for its excess of Yang energy. Traditionally speaking, where is the best place to go to avoid excess Yang on this day?

Most readers picked: 1. By the ocean and/or other bodies of water

Explanation: Be careful to read the questions to the very end! The first part was just introducing Yin and Yang, but the question itself was asking: Traditionally speaking, where is the best place to go to avoid excess Yang on this day? The holiday in question is known in China as the Double Ninth Festival (重陽節), also known as the 9th day of the 9th Lunar month. The concept of hiding on a mountain comes from the legend associated with the story, where a monster bringing pestilence attacked a village on that day. To save his fellow villagers, a hero named Huan Jing told them to climb a hill while he fought and defeated the creature. Other customs of the holiday include drinking chrysanthemum wine and wearing stalks of zhuyu plant.

Which of the following is not a core characteristic of the historical xia (俠)?

1. Loyalty to one’s lord (CORRECT) 2. Altruism 3. Reciprocity 4. Keeping one’s word

Most readers picked: 2. Altruism

Explanation: The xia are martial heroes often found in the jianghu, known for their free and unfettered lives. While some may live for selfish motives, that doesn’t represent the whole. The most defining characteristic of such xia is the fact that they show allegiance to no lord but themselves–or else, the faction to which they belong to. Ties of brotherhood/sisterhood and friendship hold more importance in the jianghu, and it isn’t uncommon to see many a wuxia hero turning his back on the majority to live for personal principles, causes, or people.

There was an interesting reddit collaboration that suggested readers choose “Altruism” as the correct choice:

Here’s an excerpt from Guan Zhong, the man who helped me come up with the question, in response to that particular comment: ‘Altruism is putting others before oneself, or going beyond what is expected of you. This one of the most important characteristics of the xia. They would even die for those who appreciated them, if it came to that. What this person is probably referring to are the retainers who indeed often freeloaded on their patrons. But not all retainers can be considered xia. See this snippet from James J.Y. Liu’s The Chinese Knight-Errant [particularly the section on d) Personal loyalty]’ (Click to expand below)

Thank you all for participating in the quiz! Heheh, look forward to the next one sometime. x9