As a traditional mythological story, the plot of “Investiture of the Gods” is already well-known to us. However, “Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms” still prepared many surprises for the audience. For example, we can see the presence of many Chinese national treasure-level cultural relics in the props.
01 Horses
In the Creation of the Gods, Yin Shou led his military to return triumphantly from Jizhou. The Shang King and Crown Prince Yin Qi sat on a chariot driven by six white horses to welcome them.
It is well known that in ancient times, the number of horses and specifications of vehicles were important symbols of identity and status. There were strict ritual regulations regarding this throughout various dynasties.
“天子驾六马，诸侯驾四、大夫三、士二、庶人一。” -《逸礼·王度记》
“The emperors rides with six horses; feudal lords ride with four; high-ranking officials three; scholars two; commoners one.” – Yi Li · Wang Du Ji
In addition to consulting ancient books, the film also referenced unearthed cultural relics – such as the discovery of a horse-drawn carriage pit called “Six Imperial Horses” at Luoyang He Luo Cultural Square in 2002. There are 26 buried carriages in total divided into two rows, with their heads facing south and placed from north to south sequentially.
The eastern row consists of 12 carriages while the western row has 14 carriages. Most carts have either two or four horses except for Carriage No.5 in the western row which has six horses. The discovery of a six-horse-drawn carriage confirms what was written in classical literature about emperors riding with six horses.
02 Chariot
When Duke Jichang answered the call and left Xiqi for Zhaoge, he rode on a horse-drawn carriage that took reference from Yinxu Museum's chariot burial pit – China's earliest evidence of chariots and horses remains. The carriage mainly consists of two wheels, one shaft, and two horses. In simple terms, it is a carriage with two wheels pulled by two horses, accompanied by one or two attendants.
During the reign of King Wu Ding when wars were frequent, people discovered the practicality and convenience of horse-drawn carriages. In oracle bone inscriptions, we can find records about the use of carriages for travel and warfare. We also see the presence of carriages in burials accompanying royalty and nobility. It can be inferred that during this period there was an emergence of chariot troops or chariot warfare.
Since the first discovery of a chariot burial pit in Yinxu in 1953 until now, a total of eight chariot burial pits have been found at Yinxu. The Yinxu Museum displays the excavated chariot burial pits from locations such as Liujiatun North Area, Nandi, Xiaomin East Village where viewers can observe both human-horse quantities as funerary objects and remnants from Shang Dynasty roads.
03 Dukes & Chaoyuan Tu
In addition to Duke Jichang (West Duke), Duke Jiang Hengchu (East Duke), Duke E Chongyu (South Duke), and Duke Chong Houhu (North Duke) are also heading to Chaoge. The appearance of these four characters is based on figures depicted in Shanxi Yongle Palace's mural painting called “Chaoyuan Tu”.
Yongle Palace is a Taoist temple built to commemorate Lu Dongbin; it was originally named Dachunyang Wanshou Palace and remains China's earliest existing Daoist temple with complete preservation. The murals within Yongle Palace are distributed among Longhu Hall, Sanqing Hall, Chunyang Hall, Chongyang Hall. Among them, the mural painting “Chaoyuan Tu” in Sanqing Hall is the most significant composition.
“Chaoyuan Tu” is a mural painting created by Ma Qi, son of the famous painter Ma Junxiang during the Yuan Dynasty. It depicts 286 Daoist deities jointly worshiping the highest deity, Yuanshi Tianzun. The eight main deities depicted in the mural are over three meters tall. Each character in the painting has rich expressions and unique features with different clothing, headgear, facial features – inheriting Wu Daozi's painting techniques while incorporating characteristics of Yuan Dynasty paintings, thus representing an epitome of ancient Chinese meticulous brushwork.
In the film, Duke Jiang Hengchu's appearance references figure No.133 – one of Three Great Emperor-Officials known as Earthly Official; Duke Ji Chang's appearance references figure No.247; Duke E Chongyu's appearance references figure No.217; and Duke Beibo Chonghou Hu's appearance originates from figure No.252.
04 Jade Accessories
In the movie, Empress Jiang and Daji wear a beautiful group of jade accessories is very eye-catching, jade culture is a prominent feature of Chinese culture that sets it apart from others. Since the beginning of the Neolithic Age, ancient Chinese people have worshipped jade. The love for jade among people in different historical periods allows us today to see various types and styles of jade artifacts from past dynasties.
Ancient people were fond of wearing combinations of different shapes and qualities of jade ornaments. They used silk threads to connect different forms of jade together with pearls, agate and other materials to create a set of jade pendants.
These sets of jade pendants not only served as decorative items but also had symbolic significance. Ancient nobles used the sound produced by colliding pieces within their sets as rhythmic beats while walking to showcase their noble status and extraordinary demeanor. It also reminded them to pay attention to hierarchical relationships between ruler and subject when conducting themselves with proper decorum.
The jade accessories worn by Empress Jiang resemble closely this set of Western Zhou period group Jade Pendants housed in Shanxi Museum collection. This set was unearthed in 1992 at Linfen, Shanxi province measuring 158 cm long when restored, consists of 204 pieces. At the bottom of these pendants are two jade geese. These accessories are extremely magnificent and represent the highest level of jade craftsmanship in the state of Jin at that time.
05 Divination
Divination was an important cultural component for Shang people. The “Creation of the Gods” presents two divination methods during the Shang Dynasty: one is using “Shi Cao (蓍草, yarrow)” divination by Duke Ji Chang, while another is using turtle shells for divination performed by Bi Gan during King Shou's enthronement ceremony in Yin. These two divination methods are also known as “cold divination” and “hot divination”.
For Shi Cao divination, 50 yarrows were prepared but only 49 were used for calculations which involved actions such as dividing them several times to arrive at a final number used to interpret hexagrams. An additional yarrow represented Taiji or the root source symbolizing infinite possibilities within constant change. This method allows even those unfamiliar with Yi Li rituals to learn divination by simply looking up interpretations based on obtained hexagrams.
Compared to yarrow divinations, turtle shell and bone inscriptions are more well-known among ordinary people today. Diviners would burn something similar to incense behind bones with carved holes on them formed through heat treatment observation cracks on their surfaces from which they could determine the good or bad outcomes of a certain matter. The results would then be recorded on the front side of turtle shells or animal bones, which are now known as oracle bone inscriptions.
06 Qin
A nation of ritual and music is where civilization begins. Music, similarly, was an important component of rituals during that period. Different from the Guqin we know today, the instrument played by Empress Jiang had five strings.
It is said that King Wen of Zhou and King Wu added the sixth and seventh string to the ancient Qin. However, based on the movie's period setting, Ji Fa had not yet become King Wu, so the instrument remained a five-stringed one.
The prototype for Empress Jiang's played instrument is precisely the ten-string lacquered qin unearthed from The Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, currently one earliest discovered ancient instruments in China. Its shape already closely resembles what we now recognize as a seven-stringed Guqin. Due to its age, only ten string holes can be seen on its left end as there are no longer any remaining strings.
07 Musical Instruments
During Yin Shou's enthronement ceremony depicted in the movie, various musical instruments such as Zhu (筑), Yu (竽), Pai Xiao (排箫), and Jian Gu (建鼓) were reproduced based on references from cultural relics.
Yu, consists of pipes of varying lengths inserted into a gourd. When blown, vibrating reeds inside the tubes produce sound. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Yu was regarded as one of the five major musical instruments. Yu held a prominent position within Han dynasty orchestras. A Han dynasty Yu has been unearthed from Ma Wangdui tomb in Changsha, Hunan province, providing us with an insight into what these ancient musical instruments looked like thousands of years ago.
Pai Xiao consists of 13 bamboo tubes with different lengths combined together to produce different tones. The earliest discovered Pai Xiao to date is the bone pai xiao from the early Western Zhou period 3000 years ago, which is now housed in Henan Provincial Museum.
From Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng came forth the earliest known physical evidence for Jian Gu dating back more than 2400 years ago. The wooden frame measures about 100 cm long with double-sided leather heads having an 80 cm diameter on each side and being vertically connected by a wooden column measuring 7 cm in diameter securely embedded onto a bronze dragon-shaped drum stand.
The drum stand at a height of 50 cm with an 80 cm diameter consisting of dozens of intertwined bronze dragons wrapped around each other symmetrically while smaller dragons can be seen attached to their heads, bodies, and tails. These dragons are embellished with turquoise stones making them exquisite craftsmanship pieces indeed. This reconstructed jian gu based on actual artifacts has been placed back on its original bronze drum stand and is currently housed at Hubei Provincial Museum.
08 Tuo Drum
In the film, one of the most notable scenes is when Yin Shou plays the drum. The prototype of this drum, known as the Tuo drum, is worth mentioning. Tuo (鼍) refers to the ancient name for Yangtze alligators, and the Tuo drum is a wooden drum covered with crocodile skin. Tuo drums have only been unearthed in royal tombs and it is believed that there were dedicated craftsmen who made them.
09 Chi
In the film, the instrument that Bo Yi Kao played was not a flute, but rather an ancient musical instrument called Chi (篪) which was designed based on antiquities found in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng. Chi was one of China's earliest bamboo wind instruments and had already become quite popular during Zhou Dynasty.
Chi and transverse flutes are very similar and often confused by people in ancient times. The difference between them lies in their construction: Chi has closed ends while transverse flutes have open holes at one end for producing sound. Transverse flutes produce louder sound with brighter tones whereas Chi has a softer volume with more graceful melodies. When playing Chi, both hands face inward as a sign of respect towards listeners.
10 Lanterns
In Yin Shou's palace, the lights are bright thanks to the row of Lian Zhi Deng (连枝灯, interconnected branch lanterns). Lian Zhi Deng were commonly seen funerary objects in ancient China. The imaginative design of these branch lamps resembles a tree with multiple branches, all lit up at once, displaying luxury and grandeur. In addition to bronze branch lanterns, there are also those made of pottery and wood. Bronze branch lanterns were reserved for emperors while nobles of higher status used pottery ones, and wooden ones were more common in wealthy households.
Hebei Museum houses a set of unearthed branch lanterns. These lamp-shaped like trees have smaller upper sections than lower sections with branches supporting 15 candle holders. The branches are adorned with small birds and monkeys while the base is supported by three fierce tigers. Two men below are engaging in monkey playfulness making it lively and interesting. As can be observed, the base of the branch lanterns is larger and becomes smaller towards the top so that when lower lights burn they do not affect those above them, thus achieving maximum effect.
11 Yue
Yin Shou has two scenes that he holds an axe-like weapon called “Yue (钺)”. One scene depicts his campaign against Jizhou using a bronze Yue while another scene during his coronation ceremony shows him holding a jade Yue.
Yue was originally a type of weapon, it could be made from metal or jade both having practical value as well as symbolic significance. In battle it could be used for chopping enemies whereas during ceremonies it represented power and authority.
The bronze Yue exudes an aura of solemnity; only emperors or high-ranking aristocrats had the privilege to use it. Although it had strong killing power, compared to other weapons like dagger-axe and spear, it was too heavy and thus its practicality on the battlefield was greatly reduced. As a result, it gradually transformed into a ceremonial weapon used in rituals.
As a ceremonial item, Yue has a flat blade without sharp edges and is mostly found as burial objects. In 1976, four bronze Yue were unearthed from Fu Hao's tomb. Among them was a large Yue measuring 39.5 cm in length, with a blade width of 37.5 cm and weighing 9 kilograms. The Yue is decorated with twin tigers attacking human heads; symbolizing Fu Hao's authority as commander.
Jade Yue is an exclusive ritual jade object unique to the Neolithic period of China as well as the Xia-Shang-Zhou era. It combined military control, command over warfare and royal power into one ceremonial jade object; hence Yin Shou wields a jade Yue during his coronation ceremony.
A complete set of jade Yue usually consists of crown decorations, main body, and end ornaments. In the Neolithic period, the main body of jade Yue was flat with an axe-like shape: narrow at the top but wider at the blade which curved gently near its tip where there would be small circular perforations. During Shang-Zhou periods these circular holes became larger while overall structure evolved closer to being ring-shaped rather than flat-bladed.
12 Helmet
In the film, almost every person is seen wearing a copper helmet, which is based on the discovery of a Shang Dynasty bronze helmet unearthed in 1989 in Xingan Town, Jiangxi Province. The helmet features a round shape with hollow construction, a flat opening, and high relief animal face patterns.
There is also a small cylindrical tube protruding from the top for attaching decorative tassels. On each side, there are small holes for fastening the helmet securely under the chin with ropes. Additionally, there are small perforations next to the animal horns on the top for ventilation purposes.
The entire artifact showcases exquisite craftsmanship and smooth surface finish, making it truly a precious bronze weapon. The earliest physical evidence of bronze helmets discovered in Chinese archaeology can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty when bronze smelting technology was highly developed and soldiers could use these helmets for personal protection on the battlefield.
The widely seen image of Taotie inlaid on bronze vessels combines various fierce animal features from nature with imaginative embellishments highlighting exaggerated facial characteristics creating highly decorative patterns often found on bronze artifacts.