Cultural elementsskemonoApril 26 2010, 21:50:33 UTC
Episode 1: The Avatar State
In Aang's dream, we see the Southern (I presume) Air Temple. Again, it doesn't really look like Chinese architecture. It's got several tall towers, rather than broad buildings. However, the roofs of the towers do look Asian, since they're sweeping gabled roofs whose corners curl upward.
Aang wakes up, and is sleeping in a hammock made of some creature's hide, it looks like. And there's what appears to be a turtle shell hanging on the wall... maybe it's a turtle seal shell? On close views, the boat appears to be made of wood--we see the walls below deck made of wood, and see wooden planks on the deck. Which seems odd. I don't think they'd have a lot of wood at the north pole. From a distant view, it looks much less wooden, and we can see it's one of the Northern Water Tribe's pontoons / catamarans.
Naturally, anyone wearing robes--such as Pakku and the nameless Water Tribe members on the boat; Zuko and Iroh; and the Fire Nation citizens in the colony Iroh and Zuko are at--wear them left over right. Many people have topknots as well, which boys in ancient China were expected to have... so I hear. Speaking of hair, what is up with Lo and Li? Is that Manchu hairstyle? It's very broad and strange.... I don't know.
Pakku gives Aang some scrolls, which of course were used all over the world, but China kept to scrolls for longer, when the western world was switching to codices. Afterward, Aang bows to him.
The Fire Nation colony Zuko and Iroh are in definitely looks like Chinese architecture: short, broad buildings; symmetrical layout; gabled roofs with curling corners. The house they're in later also seems to be Asian style architecture as we see it from the inside, but I'll get to that later. Around the city are numerous trees with pink blossoms. That makes me think of sakura, but I imagine it could be another kind of tree. Zuko is wearing a straw hat while Iroh gets a massage. In the background of that place, you can see a folding screen at one point, and some other items I don't recognize. On the table to the right I think they have a tea set laid out, but I don't recognize the spherical thing above it (maybe it's a Chinese lantern?). And there are two other standing structures I don't know what are.
Azula's ship looks like it has a pagoda sticking out of it, for some reason. Azula comes out in a palanquin, which was found in most of the world, though Europe didn't really have them until fairly late, since it got the idea in part from the Americas. It was fairly common to have royalty, such as Azula here, carried around in one of them. The palanquin bearers are hats with cloth that hang down around the sides and back of their heads, which look like some Mongolianhelmets; several Fire Nation soldiers also wear this. When Azula comes out, the men are lined up in rows bowing to her.
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 26 2010, 21:51:20 UTC
Episode 1: The Avatar State pt 2
The Earth Kingdom fortress also appears to have Chinese architecture. Also, it has a huge wall around it, out of which springs three walls that travel across the landscape, over the mountains, with watch posts at regular intervals, like the Great Wall of China. In the center of the city is a large pagoda. There's some strange arch behind the group when Appa lands, and later again when Sokka tries to shock Aang into the Avatar state.
General Fong and his soldiers bow to the gaang when they land. I don't know if the Earth Kingdom uniforms are based on anything, but Fong has a topknot and a hairstick. The soldiers set off faux-fireworks. They're not real fireworks like the Fire Nation has, but they use their earthbending to propel them. Inside the pagoda, Fong gets a chair, while the gaang are sitting on some platform on the floor. Aang and Sokka are in half-lotus, Katara in seiza. The pagoda has several large holes in it for windows, but no glass in any of them (or paper, or anything else).
Before Azula does her lightning, she's lowering her hands to about midsection-level while exhaling. I think that's her moving into initial stance, as in a martial arts form. Lo and Li are sitting in seiza while they're watching her.
In their first attempt to trigger the Avatar State, they're in a Chinese pavilion. The man uses chopsticks to drop... something... into Aang's chi-enhancing tea (incidentally, the teacup doesn't have a handle). The man and Katara appear to be sitting in seiza, while Aang, Fong, and Sokka are in lotus. The table is very short to accommodate them sitting like that, like a chabudai. Later, when Sokka tries shocking Aang, we again see Katara in seiza and Aang in lotus.
Azula shows up at Zuko & Iroh's place, and we get to see more of it. There are two scroll paintings, it looks like Chinese paintings. One is between the two sections Iroh and Zuko were sleeping in; the other one by the door is a painting of plants--bamboo, I think. Which is common enough to get its own Wikipedia page. There's another very short table in the room, but also a larger table and a chair (gasp!), which Azula is in. There's no door, just open doorways and curtains. The doorway looks like an Asian style to me, I think, with the top piece extending horizontally past the rest of the frame. Same with the windows.
When Iroh is going to the ship, he appears to be wearing a hotoke dou or something again.
When they're fighting Aang, some of the Earth Kingdom guys are using pole arms of some kind, but I'm not entirely sure what. Maybe they're naginata? Or guan dao? They don't quite look like either one, really....
Before the ship's captain blows everything, Azula, Iroh and Zuko bow to one another. And the soldiers who ask if the gaang still wants an escort to Omashu bow to them, as well.
Azula unveils a wanted poster for Iroh and Zuko, written in Chinese, of course. In a fascinating tidbit, the Avatar wiki tells us that the poster writes Zuko's name with the hanzi for "ancestor robber", differently from how his name is written in other places.
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 26 2010, 21:52:11 UTC
Episode 1: The Avatar State pt 3
And at the very end, Zuko brings out a knife, which also has Chinese on it, and he and Iroh cut off their topknots. As I understand it, this would've been a very profound gesture in ancient China. Legend has it that Cao Cao once tried to kill himself for violating a rule he set down, but eventually was convinced to cut off his hair instead of his head--apparently that was close enough. Most people wore their hair long and never cut it; criminals had their hair forcibly cut, so short hair was a mark of a criminal. The Xiao Jing said "The body, hair and skin, all have been received from the parents, and so one doesn't dare damage them--that is the beginning of xiao" (or filial piety, as I've seen it translated). So, yeah. Cutting the hair? Big deal.
And as the screen pans out, we can see bamboo behind them.
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 26 2010, 21:52:53 UTC
Episode 2: The Cave of Two Lovers
The nomads are playing various instruments. Chong has a stringed instrument that the Avatar wiki thinks is a banjo, but it could also be a necked lute. Since it seems to be flat, I don't think it'd be a bowl lute, so that knocks out the pipa and others. There are a lot of things it could be. Similarly, Moku has a drum, which the Avatar wiki thinks is a djembe, but I don't think so. Djembe tend to be goblet-shaped, and his isn't. But still, there's a lot of things it could be: tabla, dholak, glong khaek or related, kendang, maddale, and probably many more. Lily has a flute of some kind, I don't know if we ever really get a good look at it. Later on, when they meet the badger-moles, Sokka takes Chong's instrument, so he pulls out another one (I don't want to know from where), which looks like it might be a yueqin.
Moku wears a straw hat, and a robe going left over right. Lily also has a robe going left over right, and Chong... well, it was a robe? Can't really say it's going left over right, because there's no "right" part to it. Nameless dancing nomad in the purple is wearing a purple Chinese shirt, with frogs going up it. Some of them are wearing leis, in addition. While bathing, Sokka looks like he might be wearing a fundoshi. When we see them, Iroh and Zuko are wearing clothes with the left going over right, as well.
Iroh is drooling over a flower in the hopes to make tea of it (the flowers--and later berries--he names aren't real, I'm pretty sure). Later, after Zuko returns with his fish, Iroh is sitting in front of the bush in lotus.
There's a lot of Chinese writing in this episode: above the entrance (and later exit) to the cave; above Song's clinic; on Oma and Shu's crypt; on the statue of them kissing; even in the story sequence.
And... oh my word. There are some huge statues near the front of the cave, humanoid figures wielding weapons, except they've got animal heads. At first I thought the heads might've been wolfbats, but on a closer comparison, I don't think so. Not sure what they are. One appears to be wielding a guan dao, and another a short sword or knife of some kind. At least one also appears to have a scarf floating around it, like in certain Buddhist imagery. I'm not sure what those are supposed to be, though. They kinda freak me out.
The Earth Kingdom village again has Chinese architecture. Inside Song's clinic, we see a patient getting treated with moxibustion--both people involved sporting topknots, I note. The clinic has Asian-style windows: a somewhat intricate latticework with paper screens to let light through. There are two scroll paintings hanging on a wall in the background. Zuko has on a straw hat, and Song (and later her mother) is wearing a hanbok, a chima jeogori.
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 26 2010, 21:53:32 UTC
Episode 2: The Cave of Two Lovers pt 2
Song's mother prepares roast duck--ducks are eaten all around the world, but Peking Duck is a very famous form of roast duck. I don't know if this was Peking Duck, though, as I couldn't see any pancakes on the table served with it. The table itself is very low, like a chabudai or so, and everyone is sitting on the floor around it. I think Song is in seiza and Iroh is in lotus, but I can't tell about Zuko and Song's mother. Song's mother has a hairstick in her hair. Iroh is seen slurping a bowl of noodles, which has chopsticks in it. The doors around the room are sliding paper doors, such as those found in Japan. Later, after the meal, Zuko and Song sit outside. Zuko's in lotus, Song is in seiza.
Oma and Shu's story is animated in the style of Chinese paintings, it looks like. And in the statue of the two of them kissing, both of them are in seiza.
When Zuko and Iroh leave Song, Song's mother hands Iroh some packages, and I'm not sure whether they're bowing to each other or just extending themselves to transfer the packages. At any rate, afterward, Iroh, Song and her mother all bow. And after his uncle chastises him, Zuko bows to them as well.
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 26 2010, 21:54:01 UTC
Episode 3: Return to Omashu
The buildings in Omashu all seem to be designed with Chinese architecture. The maskless Fire Nation soldiers in this episode use ranseur-like weapons, which I would guess are tangs or chas, and they have those Mongolian-style helmets. Azula's ship still has its pagoda, for some reason, and Azula still has her palanquin. Whenever she's inside it, she's sitting in half-lotus. And on either side of her, Lo and Li are sitting in seiza, I think.
Mai has an ox horns / odango hairstyle, I think. Her parents both have a topknot. Tom-Tom's head is shaved but for a single spot with hair sprouting out, like was traditionally done to Chinese babies. I came across one book that stated the reason for that was to prevent the spirit from escaping through the kid's head, but I don't really know if that was ever the case. Whatever the reason, that's a traditional Han haircut.
When the gaang meet the resistance, we see many of Omashu's citizens wearing green hats/turbans and what I think are green dels (or deels). Of course, they're worn left over right.
When Ty Lee sees Azula, she prostrates herself on the ground before her, and after Azula pretends to back off she bows to her.
While the people are pretending to be ill, a Fire Nation soldier starts hammering on a gong to warn of a plague. We later see Tom-Tom's room, and there's a folding screen in it with an Asian landscape painting on it. Tom-Tom is also playing with a teddy bear, which of course was created in 1900s-America.
At the beginning of Ty Lee's circus show, we see a brief snatch of two people doing the Lion Dance, before they move away and we see the ringmaster bow to Azula. He appears to be wearing a Chinese shirt, with a couple frogs in the middle. Hanging around the tent are Chinese lanterns. And Ty Lee is wearing a headdress of some kind which looks vagule familiar, but I can't place it. And back in her room/tent after the show, there's another Chinese lantern.
The note the governor sends to the resistance is of course written in Chinese.
When Azula shows up in Omashu, Mai bows to her. Later, when she's addressing the governor, Mai's parents are in pillows on the floor, sitting in seiza.
At the end, Bumi lectures Aang about jings. According to the Avatar wiki, those supposedly correlate with neijia and/or fa jin.
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 26 2010, 21:54:50 UTC
Episode 4: The Swamp
The Earth Kingdom village Zuko and Iroh are in looks like it has Chinese architecture, though the roofs we see initially are thatched rather than tiled. At the entrance, across the bridge, there's a T-shaped pole with some things dangling from either side. Those might be Chinese lanterns again? I'm not sure, though, since there's more than one. Zuko and Iroh both have straw hats, though Iroh's using his for panhandling, and several background characters do as well. Several background characters also have carrying poles, which were used by many cultures: Hawaii, Samoa, the Cook Islands. Japan had the tembimbo, and China had one, too. I don't think Europe had a similar thing, though. Some people have topknots, and anyone wearing robes have them going left over right, naturally.
We see a cart being pulled past which is clearly a market stall that's in the process of being moved. On its side are several masks, and a sign written in Chinese. The Blue Spirit's mask can be seen in the upper right of the cart, so presumably that's where Zuko gets it later this episode. (Creator commentary does say that the Blue Spirit mask in the Avatar world is an Earth Kingdom opera mask)
The Earth Kingdom coins Iroh collects are based on old Chinese coins. The jerk who shows up uses twin dao, like Zuko did as the Blue Spirit. He also has a shirt with a frog fastener on it. Also, we can see an Asian lantern hanging from one of the buildings nearby.
The Foggy Swamp guys... I don't know what they are. I think they may be wearing fundoshi. The Avatar wiki mentions that Huu's, Due's, and Tho's names are all Vietnamese names/words. I don't recognize their huts or boats, though.
While in the swamp, we see Yue's spirit form again, and she still looks like Chang'e or maybe a tenne.
The mask on the vine monster looks kinda like the comedy/tragedy masks of Greek theater.
Huu says that he "reached enlightenment right here, under the banyan grove tree." A banyan is a plant native to India and surrounding regions, a fig that grows on trees and can eventually become indistinguishable from them. They can get to be completely enormous--as in, measured in acres--like the tree in the center of the swamp. And much like the swamp, their roots can spread out and look like trees themselves. The bodhi tree under which Gautama achieved enlightenment was a kind of banyan tree.
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 26 2010, 21:55:43 UTC
Episode 5: Avatar Day
Of the Rough Rhinos, one appears to be using a guan dao; one's an archer and may be using a Chinese bow, I can't really tell; one's using bolas, and one uses explosives. After they run, they find a trading post, and Aang is wearing a traditional straw hat.
In Chin Village, there are several Chinese lanterns strung over the streets for the festival. People around are wearing robes of some kind, left over right of course, and many are wearing wushamao. Mayor Tong himself supposedly wears a fangjin, according to the Avatar wiki. I wouldn't know, as I can't find a picture of that.
Zuko robs some people in another Earth Kingdom village. This village again has Chinese architecture, though again some roofs are thatched rather than tiled. The man he robs is using a carrying pole, and Zuko robs him while wearing the Blue Spirit mask, which was based off a Chinese opera mask, and using his dao swords. Also, there's a square lantern hanging from a pole in the area. When he goes back to the cave, Iroh is sitting in seiza.
Sokka gets a hat for this episode, which looks like either a Ming dynasty or Tang dynasty hat. Neither, of course, came with an eyepiece magnifier. That was extra.
The carriage that Zuko attacks looks like it has a Chinese lantern attached to the front. Inside, the man is drooling over his chest full of old Chinese coins.
The spot where Chin died now has a Chinese pavilion of sorts on it, plus a statue. The statue has Chinese writing on it, for Chin's name. In the prison, we see a stack of bowls, with some chopsticks sticking out.
And back on Kyoshi island, we see Oyaji sitting on his deck--oyaji, by the way, being a rude Japanese word for "dad", or just a middle-aged man. Oyaji is sitting in half-lotus, wielding some chopsticks, though he doesn't appear to have any food. He's also wearing wooden sandals--maybe wooden zori. They're probably not geta, since they don't seem to be elevated.
Oyaji leads Sokka and Katara to a temple to Kyoshi. In front of the temple is a torii (a real one this time! I swear!). Inside the shrine is her kimono (actually called that by name), her tessen, and a painting which again has Chinese writing on it. There's also an Asian lantern hanging from the roof. Speaking of her fans, the ones on her statue have hanzi on them.
The deep-voiced guy overseeing the trial is wearing a Chinese hat of some kind, similar to the one Sokka has. He's also carrying a staff with a loop at the end and rings hanging on it, which may be a khakkhara .
Later on, when Iroh is having a talk with Zuko, he kneels next to him and sits in seiza.
Chin the Conqueror wears a fancy Chinese hat (see picture 1 of the slideshow here). According to the Avatar wiki (and confirmed here), that's a tong tian guan, a hat for the highest-ranking Chinese officials. Chin himself is named after Qin Shi Huang, first Emperor of China.
After Aang saves the day, they celebrate with faux-fireworks.
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 28 2010, 03:30:17 UTC
Episode 1: Thank you for the note about Zuko and Iroh's hair cutting! I'm a huge Three Kingdoms/Cao Cao fan and I still would have missed the hair reference if it weren't for you.
Episode 3: Ty Lee's forehead to the ground bow to Azula is called a kowtow , which I think is used in traditional Chinese culture to demonstrate deep respect for superiors (usually the Emperor), worship, or supplication (perhaps apology as well? Am not sure on that).
Do you know if the green hats that the Omashu citizens are wearing are Mongolian in origin as well? I keeping wanting to place them as Yuan dynasty (the Mongolian dynasty) inspired, but none of my googling is turing up any results.
Probably much more specific than anything you'll ever need to know about Lion Dance, but the large amounts or fur attached to the heads make it seem to be of the northern style, though the coloration suggests southern.
I'm not sure if this is a particularly Chinese thing, but Ty Lee's performance is very typical of Chinese acrobatics shows. Not the tightrope part, to the best of my recollection, but the balancing on one hand on a knob thing while doing contortions. If we were to see the rest of her act I'm sure at one point she'd probably end up supporting all of her weight by her teeth while folding her body completely over the knob.
Episode 5: The wushaomao is usually only worn by civil officials, though it seems all men in this village wear them. Sokka's eyepiece-wushamao made my day in this episode, really. Though I think it'd be funnier if he got a Song dynasty one, it probably wouldn't completely fit on the screen most of the time.
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 28 2010, 04:11:10 UTC
Thank you for the note about Zuko and Iroh's hair cutting! I'm a huge Three Kingdoms/Cao Cao fan and I still would have missed the hair reference if it weren't for you.
You're welcome. It's not just a Cao Cao reference, though. As one commenter mentioned, it's a common trope.
Ty Lee's forehead to the ground bow to Azula is called a kowtow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowtow) , which I think is used in traditional Chinese culture to demonstrate deep respect for superiors (usually the Emperor)
Intriguing! I didn't expound on that because I figured prostration would be found in many cultures. Although according to that Wiki page, it's mostly religious in context, which I wouldn't have figured. If that's so, then Ty Lee's bow to Azula would've been a kowtow like you said, since it certainly wasn't a religious gesture.
Do you know if the green hats that the Omashu citizens are wearing are Mongolian in origin as well?
I have absolutely no idea. My knowledge of Chinese clothing is next to nil, no matter what I say in these comments.
I'm not sure if this is a particularly Chinese thing, but Ty Lee's performance is very typical of Chinese acrobatics shows. Not the tightrope part, to the best of my recollection, but the balancing on one hand on a knob thing while doing contortions.
Hmm... maybe. I don't know if acrobatics shows differs that much between cultures, or if what Ty Lee did is specific to any one.
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 28 2010, 05:10:34 UTC
On the hair thing: It is probably meant to be more of the "Important Haircut" idea, but associating it with Cao Cao and the Chinese haircut taboo gives it a much different feel. It's the difference between symbolizing a transition in one's life versus being equivalent to decapitation or self-mutilation. They probably don't intend the latter (it's a reference most people won't get anyway, and much darker than they intend this early on).
Acrobatics: the particular act I was thinking of is this kind (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaRJFM3EAZw). The particular act I remember watching on TV also including balancing lit candleabras on all four limbs. It's not an act I've seen elsewhere, though to be fair I watch few acrobatics shows and just about all of those are Chinese. Also possibly relevant to Ty Lee's act:(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPsoWdZYDfc) I guess they combined the two?
Re: Cultural elementsskemonoApril 28 2010, 03:31:51 UTC
On a more morbid note, many of the fates on the Wheel of Punishment are related to the Eighteen Layers of Hell in Chinese mythology. There is one for animals, the knife pit is probably related to the Mountain of Knives, and there is one where the soul is fried in oil. I remember reading a translated Journey to the West as a kid--I was utterly fascinated by the poem describing these.
I really loved season two because of all the Earth Kingdom episodes; it is like chocolate for my bias towards traditional Chinese clothing. The more I think about it, the more I'm getting the clothing distinctions between different parts of the Earth Kingdom. It's very distinct in Ba Sing Se, which is remarkably Qing dynasty based. Toph and her family wear Tang dynasty clothing, and they are at a geographically different location. I guess Omashu is Mongolian/Yuan, which I totally didn't catch the first time around. I can't pinpoint a dynasty for Chin village, but they're internally consistant with all of their hats!
Thank you for doing all of these cultural annotations! They really add a lot to the already wonderful series.
Re: Cultural elementsfull_metal_oxApril 27 2010, 02:59:55 UTC
Although I've not had a chance to hear DVD commentary that might confirm or contradict this, the Foggy Swamp may be in part a shout-out to Apocalypse Now; that movie's setting is the Vietnam War, and there's a great deal of high spookiness going on in swamps, along with one scene in which an American G.I. performs T'ai Chi in the back of the boat--a gesture that "The Swamp" made functional (that's how the Swampbenders propel their boats.)
Re: Cultural elementspuffysanjoApril 28 2010, 06:32:11 UTC
"The Avatar wiki mentions that Huu's, Due's, and Tho's names are all Vietnamese names/words."
LOL, that was me who added those! I read someone's blurb that the Foggy Swamp tribe are based on the Vietnamese, but I couldn't find much information about them except that their names are Vietnamese, but no posts about the meanings. Being about three quarters Vietnamese, I took it upon myself to do a quick search for the meanings and sure enough, they are Vietnamese names! Thank you Avatar creators for adding some Vietnamese aspects to the show!
Despite the Asian names, people think the Swamp tribe is Caucasian because of their sourthern American accent.... jeez. That's just to show they're "backwoods," so to speak; many languages have different dialects and accents. The southern accent is to show that their accent is different from the regular Chinese language that the others speak.
I'm reading a book about Vietnam and its culture and people, so hopefully I can find out more aspects used for the Foggy Swamp tribe.
In Aang's dream, we see the Southern (I presume) Air Temple. Again, it doesn't really look like Chinese architecture. It's got several tall towers, rather than broad buildings. However, the roofs of the towers do look Asian, since they're sweeping gabled roofs whose corners curl upward.
Aang wakes up, and is sleeping in a hammock made of some creature's hide, it looks like. And there's what appears to be a turtle shell hanging on the wall... maybe it's a turtle seal shell? On close views, the boat appears to be made of wood--we see the walls below deck made of wood, and see wooden planks on the deck. Which seems odd. I don't think they'd have a lot of wood at the north pole. From a distant view, it looks much less wooden, and we can see it's one of the Northern Water Tribe's pontoons / catamarans.
Naturally, anyone wearing robes--such as Pakku and the nameless Water Tribe members on the boat; Zuko and Iroh; and the Fire Nation citizens in the colony Iroh and Zuko are at--wear them left over right. Many people have topknots as well, which boys in ancient China were expected to have... so I hear. Speaking of hair, what is up with Lo and Li? Is that Manchu hairstyle? It's very broad and strange.... I don't know.
Pakku gives Aang some scrolls, which of course were used all over the world, but China kept to scrolls for longer, when the western world was switching to codices. Afterward, Aang bows to him.
The Fire Nation colony Zuko and Iroh are in definitely looks like Chinese architecture: short, broad buildings; symmetrical layout; gabled roofs with curling corners. The house they're in later also seems to be Asian style architecture as we see it from the inside, but I'll get to that later. Around the city are numerous trees with pink blossoms. That makes me think of sakura, but I imagine it could be another kind of tree. Zuko is wearing a straw hat while Iroh gets a massage. In the background of that place, you can see a folding screen at one point, and some other items I don't recognize. On the table to the right I think they have a tea set laid out, but I don't recognize the spherical thing above it (maybe it's a Chinese lantern?). And there are two other standing structures I don't know what are.
Azula's ship looks like it has a pagoda sticking out of it, for some reason. Azula comes out in a palanquin, which was found in most of the world, though Europe didn't really have them until fairly late, since it got the idea in part from the Americas. It was fairly common to have royalty, such as Azula here, carried around in one of them. The palanquin bearers are hats with cloth that hang down around the sides and back of their heads, which look like some Mongolian helmets; several Fire Nation soldiers also wear this. When Azula comes out, the men are lined up in rows bowing to her.
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The Earth Kingdom fortress also appears to have Chinese architecture. Also, it has a huge wall around it, out of which springs three walls that travel across the landscape, over the mountains, with watch posts at regular intervals, like the Great Wall of China. In the center of the city is a large pagoda. There's some strange arch behind the group when Appa lands, and later again when Sokka tries to shock Aang into the Avatar state.
General Fong and his soldiers bow to the gaang when they land. I don't know if the Earth Kingdom uniforms are based on anything, but Fong has a topknot and a hairstick. The soldiers set off faux-fireworks. They're not real fireworks like the Fire Nation has, but they use their earthbending to propel them. Inside the pagoda, Fong gets a chair, while the gaang are sitting on some platform on the floor. Aang and Sokka are in half-lotus, Katara in seiza. The pagoda has several large holes in it for windows, but no glass in any of them (or paper, or anything else).
Before Azula does her lightning, she's lowering her hands to about midsection-level while exhaling. I think that's her moving into initial stance, as in a martial arts form. Lo and Li are sitting in seiza while they're watching her.
In their first attempt to trigger the Avatar State, they're in a Chinese pavilion. The man uses chopsticks to drop... something... into Aang's chi-enhancing tea (incidentally, the teacup doesn't have a handle). The man and Katara appear to be sitting in seiza, while Aang, Fong, and Sokka are in lotus. The table is very short to accommodate them sitting like that, like a chabudai. Later, when Sokka tries shocking Aang, we again see Katara in seiza and Aang in lotus.
Azula shows up at Zuko & Iroh's place, and we get to see more of it. There are two scroll paintings, it looks like Chinese paintings. One is between the two sections Iroh and Zuko were sleeping in; the other one by the door is a painting of plants--bamboo, I think. Which is common enough to get its own Wikipedia page. There's another very short table in the room, but also a larger table and a chair (gasp!), which Azula is in. There's no door, just open doorways and curtains. The doorway looks like an Asian style to me, I think, with the top piece extending horizontally past the rest of the frame. Same with the windows.
When Iroh is going to the ship, he appears to be wearing a hotoke dou or something again.
When they're fighting Aang, some of the Earth Kingdom guys are using pole arms of some kind, but I'm not entirely sure what. Maybe they're naginata? Or guan dao? They don't quite look like either one, really....
Before the ship's captain blows everything, Azula, Iroh and Zuko bow to one another. And the soldiers who ask if the gaang still wants an escort to Omashu bow to them, as well.
Azula unveils a wanted poster for Iroh and Zuko, written in Chinese, of course. In a fascinating tidbit, the Avatar wiki tells us that the poster writes Zuko's name with the hanzi for "ancestor robber", differently from how his name is written in other places.
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And at the very end, Zuko brings out a knife, which also has Chinese on it, and he and Iroh cut off their topknots. As I understand it, this would've been a very profound gesture in ancient China. Legend has it that Cao Cao once tried to kill himself for violating a rule he set down, but eventually was convinced to cut off his hair instead of his head--apparently that was close enough. Most people wore their hair long and never cut it; criminals had their hair forcibly cut, so short hair was a mark of a criminal. The Xiao Jing said "The body, hair and skin, all have been received from the parents, and so one doesn't dare damage them--that is the beginning of xiao" (or filial piety, as I've seen it translated). So, yeah. Cutting the hair? Big deal.
And as the screen pans out, we can see bamboo behind them.
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The nomads are playing various instruments. Chong has a stringed instrument that the Avatar wiki thinks is a banjo, but it could also be a necked lute. Since it seems to be flat, I don't think it'd be a bowl lute, so that knocks out the pipa and others. There are a lot of things it could be. Similarly, Moku has a drum, which the Avatar wiki thinks is a djembe, but I don't think so. Djembe tend to be goblet-shaped, and his isn't. But still, there's a lot of things it could be: tabla, dholak, glong khaek or related, kendang, maddale, and probably many more. Lily has a flute of some kind, I don't know if we ever really get a good look at it. Later on, when they meet the badger-moles, Sokka takes Chong's instrument, so he pulls out another one (I don't want to know from where), which looks like it might be a yueqin.
Moku wears a straw hat, and a robe going left over right. Lily also has a robe going left over right, and Chong... well, it was a robe? Can't really say it's going left over right, because there's no "right" part to it. Nameless dancing nomad in the purple is wearing a purple Chinese shirt, with frogs going up it. Some of them are wearing leis, in addition. While bathing, Sokka looks like he might be wearing a fundoshi. When we see them, Iroh and Zuko are wearing clothes with the left going over right, as well.
Iroh is drooling over a flower in the hopes to make tea of it (the flowers--and later berries--he names aren't real, I'm pretty sure). Later, after Zuko returns with his fish, Iroh is sitting in front of the bush in lotus.
There's a lot of Chinese writing in this episode: above the entrance (and later exit) to the cave; above Song's clinic; on Oma and Shu's crypt; on the statue of them kissing; even in the story sequence.
And... oh my word. There are some huge statues near the front of the cave, humanoid figures wielding weapons, except they've got animal heads. At first I thought the heads might've been wolfbats, but on a closer comparison, I don't think so. Not sure what they are. One appears to be wielding a guan dao, and another a short sword or knife of some kind. At least one also appears to have a scarf floating around it, like in certain Buddhist imagery. I'm not sure what those are supposed to be, though. They kinda freak me out.
The Earth Kingdom village again has Chinese architecture. Inside Song's clinic, we see a patient getting treated with moxibustion--both people involved sporting topknots, I note. The clinic has Asian-style windows: a somewhat intricate latticework with paper screens to let light through. There are two scroll paintings hanging on a wall in the background. Zuko has on a straw hat, and Song (and later her mother) is wearing a hanbok, a chima jeogori.
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Song's mother prepares roast duck--ducks are eaten all around the world, but Peking Duck is a very famous form of roast duck. I don't know if this was Peking Duck, though, as I couldn't see any pancakes on the table served with it. The table itself is very low, like a chabudai or so, and everyone is sitting on the floor around it. I think Song is in seiza and Iroh is in lotus, but I can't tell about Zuko and Song's mother. Song's mother has a hairstick in her hair. Iroh is seen slurping a bowl of noodles, which has chopsticks in it. The doors around the room are sliding paper doors, such as those found in Japan. Later, after the meal, Zuko and Song sit outside. Zuko's in lotus, Song is in seiza.
Oma and Shu's story is animated in the style of Chinese paintings, it looks like. And in the statue of the two of them kissing, both of them are in seiza.
When Zuko and Iroh leave Song, Song's mother hands Iroh some packages, and I'm not sure whether they're bowing to each other or just extending themselves to transfer the packages. At any rate, afterward, Iroh, Song and her mother all bow. And after his uncle chastises him, Zuko bows to them as well.
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The buildings in Omashu all seem to be designed with Chinese architecture. The maskless Fire Nation soldiers in this episode use ranseur-like weapons, which I would guess are tangs or chas, and they have those Mongolian-style helmets. Azula's ship still has its pagoda, for some reason, and Azula still has her palanquin. Whenever she's inside it, she's sitting in half-lotus. And on either side of her, Lo and Li are sitting in seiza, I think.
Mai has an ox horns / odango hairstyle, I think. Her parents both have a topknot. Tom-Tom's head is shaved but for a single spot with hair sprouting out, like was traditionally done to Chinese babies. I came across one book that stated the reason for that was to prevent the spirit from escaping through the kid's head, but I don't really know if that was ever the case. Whatever the reason, that's a traditional Han haircut.
When the gaang meet the resistance, we see many of Omashu's citizens wearing green hats/turbans and what I think are green dels (or deels). Of course, they're worn left over right.
When Ty Lee sees Azula, she prostrates herself on the ground before her, and after Azula pretends to back off she bows to her.
While the people are pretending to be ill, a Fire Nation soldier starts hammering on a gong to warn of a plague. We later see Tom-Tom's room, and there's a folding screen in it with an Asian landscape painting on it. Tom-Tom is also playing with a teddy bear, which of course was created in 1900s-America.
At the beginning of Ty Lee's circus show, we see a brief snatch of two people doing the Lion Dance, before they move away and we see the ringmaster bow to Azula. He appears to be wearing a Chinese shirt, with a couple frogs in the middle. Hanging around the tent are Chinese lanterns. And Ty Lee is wearing a headdress of some kind which looks vagule familiar, but I can't place it. And back in her room/tent after the show, there's another Chinese lantern.
The note the governor sends to the resistance is of course written in Chinese.
When Azula shows up in Omashu, Mai bows to her. Later, when she's addressing the governor, Mai's parents are in pillows on the floor, sitting in seiza.
At the end, Bumi lectures Aang about jings. According to the Avatar wiki, those supposedly correlate with neijia and/or fa jin.
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The Earth Kingdom village Zuko and Iroh are in looks like it has Chinese architecture, though the roofs we see initially are thatched rather than tiled. At the entrance, across the bridge, there's a T-shaped pole with some things dangling from either side. Those might be Chinese lanterns again? I'm not sure, though, since there's more than one. Zuko and Iroh both have straw hats, though Iroh's using his for panhandling, and several background characters do as well. Several background characters also have carrying poles, which were used by many cultures: Hawaii, Samoa, the Cook Islands. Japan had the tembimbo, and China had one, too. I don't think Europe had a similar thing, though. Some people have topknots, and anyone wearing robes have them going left over right, naturally.
We see a cart being pulled past which is clearly a market stall that's in the process of being moved. On its side are several masks, and a sign written in Chinese. The Blue Spirit's mask can be seen in the upper right of the cart, so presumably that's where Zuko gets it later this episode. (Creator commentary does say that the Blue Spirit mask in the Avatar world is an Earth Kingdom opera mask)
The Earth Kingdom coins Iroh collects are based on old Chinese coins. The jerk who shows up uses twin dao, like Zuko did as the Blue Spirit. He also has a shirt with a frog fastener on it. Also, we can see an Asian lantern hanging from one of the buildings nearby.
The Foggy Swamp guys... I don't know what they are. I think they may be wearing fundoshi. The Avatar wiki mentions that Huu's, Due's, and Tho's names are all Vietnamese names/words. I don't recognize their huts or boats, though.
While in the swamp, we see Yue's spirit form again, and she still looks like Chang'e or maybe a tenne.
The mask on the vine monster looks kinda like the comedy/tragedy masks of Greek theater.
Huu says that he "reached enlightenment right here, under the banyan grove tree." A banyan is a plant native to India and surrounding regions, a fig that grows on trees and can eventually become indistinguishable from them. They can get to be completely enormous--as in, measured in acres--like the tree in the center of the swamp. And much like the swamp, their roots can spread out and look like trees themselves. The bodhi tree under which Gautama achieved enlightenment was a kind of banyan tree.
Also, Huu and Aang are sitting in half-lotus.
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Of the Rough Rhinos, one appears to be using a guan dao; one's an archer and may be using a Chinese bow, I can't really tell; one's using bolas, and one uses explosives. After they run, they find a trading post, and Aang is wearing a traditional straw hat.
In Chin Village, there are several Chinese lanterns strung over the streets for the festival. People around are wearing robes of some kind, left over right of course, and many are wearing wushamao. Mayor Tong himself supposedly wears a fangjin, according to the Avatar wiki. I wouldn't know, as I can't find a picture of that.
Zuko robs some people in another Earth Kingdom village. This village again has Chinese architecture, though again some roofs are thatched rather than tiled. The man he robs is using a carrying pole, and Zuko robs him while wearing the Blue Spirit mask, which was based off a Chinese opera mask, and using his dao swords. Also, there's a square lantern hanging from a pole in the area. When he goes back to the cave, Iroh is sitting in seiza.
Sokka gets a hat for this episode, which looks like either a Ming dynasty or Tang dynasty hat. Neither, of course, came with an eyepiece magnifier. That was extra.
The carriage that Zuko attacks looks like it has a Chinese lantern attached to the front. Inside, the man is drooling over his chest full of old Chinese coins.
The spot where Chin died now has a Chinese pavilion of sorts on it, plus a statue. The statue has Chinese writing on it, for Chin's name. In the prison, we see a stack of bowls, with some chopsticks sticking out.
And back on Kyoshi island, we see Oyaji sitting on his deck--oyaji, by the way, being a rude Japanese word for "dad", or just a middle-aged man. Oyaji is sitting in half-lotus, wielding some chopsticks, though he doesn't appear to have any food. He's also wearing wooden sandals--maybe wooden zori. They're probably not geta, since they don't seem to be elevated.
Oyaji leads Sokka and Katara to a temple to Kyoshi. In front of the temple is a torii (a real one this time! I swear!). Inside the shrine is her kimono (actually called that by name), her tessen, and a painting which again has Chinese writing on it. There's also an Asian lantern hanging from the roof. Speaking of her fans, the ones on her statue have hanzi on them.
The deep-voiced guy overseeing the trial is wearing a Chinese hat of some kind, similar to the one Sokka has. He's also carrying a staff with a loop at the end and rings hanging on it, which may be a khakkhara .
Later on, when Iroh is having a talk with Zuko, he kneels next to him and sits in seiza.
Chin the Conqueror wears a fancy Chinese hat (see picture 1 of the slideshow here). According to the Avatar wiki (and confirmed here), that's a tong tian guan, a hat for the highest-ranking Chinese officials. Chin himself is named after Qin Shi Huang, first Emperor of China.
After Aang saves the day, they celebrate with faux-fireworks.
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Thank you for the note about Zuko and Iroh's hair cutting! I'm a huge Three Kingdoms/Cao Cao fan and I still would have missed the hair reference if it weren't for you.
Episode 3:
Ty Lee's forehead to the ground bow to Azula is called a kowtow , which I think is used in traditional Chinese culture to demonstrate deep respect for superiors (usually the Emperor), worship, or supplication (perhaps apology as well? Am not sure on that).
Do you know if the green hats that the Omashu citizens are wearing are Mongolian in origin as well? I keeping wanting to place them as Yuan dynasty (the Mongolian dynasty) inspired, but none of my googling is turing up any results.
Probably much more specific than anything you'll ever need to know about Lion Dance, but the large amounts or fur attached to the heads make it seem to be of the northern style, though the coloration suggests southern.
I'm not sure if this is a particularly Chinese thing, but Ty Lee's performance is very typical of Chinese acrobatics shows. Not the tightrope part, to the best of my recollection, but the balancing on one hand on a knob thing while doing contortions. If we were to see the rest of her act I'm sure at one point she'd probably end up supporting all of her weight by her teeth while folding her body completely over the knob.
Episode 5:
The wushaomao is usually only worn by civil officials, though it seems all men in this village wear them. Sokka's eyepiece-wushamao made my day in this episode, really. Though I think it'd be funnier if he got a Song dynasty one, it probably wouldn't completely fit on the screen most of the time.
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You're welcome. It's not just a Cao Cao reference, though. As one commenter mentioned, it's a common trope.
Ty Lee's forehead to the ground bow to Azula is called a kowtow (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowtow) , which I think is used in traditional Chinese culture to demonstrate deep respect for superiors (usually the Emperor)
Intriguing! I didn't expound on that because I figured prostration would be found in many cultures. Although according to that Wiki page, it's mostly religious in context, which I wouldn't have figured. If that's so, then Ty Lee's bow to Azula would've been a kowtow like you said, since it certainly wasn't a religious gesture.
Do you know if the green hats that the Omashu citizens are wearing are Mongolian in origin as well?
I have absolutely no idea. My knowledge of Chinese clothing is next to nil, no matter what I say in these comments.
I'm not sure if this is a particularly Chinese thing, but Ty Lee's performance is very typical of Chinese acrobatics shows. Not the tightrope part, to the best of my recollection, but the balancing on one hand on a knob thing while doing contortions.
Hmm... maybe. I don't know if acrobatics shows differs that much between cultures, or if what Ty Lee did is specific to any one.
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Acrobatics: the particular act I was thinking of is this kind (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaRJFM3EAZw). The particular act I remember watching on TV also including balancing lit candleabras on all four limbs. It's not an act I've seen elsewhere, though to be fair I watch few acrobatics shows and just about all of those are Chinese. Also possibly relevant to Ty Lee's act:(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPsoWdZYDfc) I guess they combined the two?
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I really loved season two because of all the Earth Kingdom episodes; it is like chocolate for my bias towards traditional Chinese clothing. The more I think about it, the more I'm getting the clothing distinctions between different parts of the Earth Kingdom. It's very distinct in Ba Sing Se, which is remarkably Qing dynasty based. Toph and her family wear Tang dynasty clothing, and they are at a geographically different location. I guess Omashu is Mongolian/Yuan, which I totally didn't catch the first time around. I can't pinpoint a dynasty for Chin village, but they're internally consistant with all of their hats!
Thank you for doing all of these cultural annotations! They really add a lot to the already wonderful series.
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Hmm... interesting thought. It could just be a coincidence--the punishments mentioned were fairly simple ways of killing people.
The more I think about it, the more I'm getting the clothing distinctions between different parts of the Earth Kingdom.
It's really amazing the amount of detail in this series. The more I watch, the more impressed I get.
Thank you for doing all of these cultural annotations!
Thank you for contributing! ^_^
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LOL, that was me who added those! I read someone's blurb that the Foggy Swamp tribe are based on the Vietnamese, but I couldn't find much information about them except that their names are Vietnamese, but no posts about the meanings. Being about three quarters Vietnamese, I took it upon myself to do a quick search for the meanings and sure enough, they are Vietnamese names! Thank you Avatar creators for adding some Vietnamese aspects to the show!
Despite the Asian names, people think the Swamp tribe is Caucasian because of their sourthern American accent.... jeez. That's just to show they're "backwoods," so to speak; many languages have different dialects and accents. The southern accent is to show that their accent is different from the regular Chinese language that the others speak.
I'm reading a book about Vietnam and its culture and people, so hopefully I can find out more aspects used for the Foggy Swamp tribe.
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