sid_guardian | Focus on Da Qing: king of the cats

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type: character discussion

Focus on Da Qing: king of the cats

[Da Qing leaning on Zhao Yunlan on the couch]

This is Da Qing. As a sensible cat, he owns a human named Zhao Yunlan, who he is teaching the ways of being a cat. (for all pictures, click to embiggen).

Da Qing is the character who has been wandering around the longest without getting impillared or buried alive, except for maybe Zhang Shi. He's been active for 10,000 years and has kept the necklace given to him by Kunlun. His memory isn't so great, but that may or may not be a recent development.

I haven't read the novel, so all my knowledge comes from the show.

The requisite cat pictures because this is the internet:

Da Qing doing community outreach to the local youth:

[Da Qing with kittens]

Some kind of Hallows-related incident where Da Qing got doubled so he posed for this picture before spending the rest of the time either both as human or both as cat:

[Da Qing cat and human]

Claiming the table to sit on so Zhao Yunlan can't do it:

[Da Qing on the table, Zhao Yunlan on the couch]

Discussion starters for Da Qing:

Cats have nine lives. What other lives has Da Qing lived?

What's he kept and what has he lost? We see him with the necklace from Kunlun, and we see that he's lost memories. What sort of things does an ancient cat keep around and where does he keep them?

What are his relationships like with other cats over time? We see Da Ji, who else is there or has there been? Does he have parents or siblings or cousins or children?

What are his relationships like with other Yashou? He's been around for a while, has he gotten into any feuds or friendships?

What are his relationships like with other humans? Has he claimed any humans other than Zhao Yunlan?

What's next for him? Is he going to stick around law enforcement or is he going to try an exciting new career as a comfort animal to children?

And finally, how many videos of Cat Da Qing have gone viral?

Fic recs:

ready, set, game on by synonemous, a gamer AU featuring both human and cat Da Qing

In the Customary Manner by Teaotter, in which Da Qing ends up as Zhao Yunlan's matchmaker

So - come and talk about Da Qing! Share links to meta, picspams, and related fanworks, new or old! Self-recs whole-heartedly encouraged. Basically, this is the place for anything you want to say or link to about Da Qing.

Important: If you're commenting with meta/discussion/thoughts, please say whether you're coming from a novel perspective, a drama perspective, or a blend of the two, so we don't end up talking past each other. Thanks!

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I don’t have any coherent thoughts to share except the more content I see about Da Qing, the more I adore him (although I only know Drama DQ).

He's such a great character, a combination of old man and old cat, wrapped up in overalls ;)

Edited 2020-04-24 19:53 (UTC)

Will have actual thoughts tomorrow (hopefully!) but here are some fic recs:

Awl Things, Bright and Beautiful by

china_shop, Da Qing-centric fix-it fic

Lost Kittens by

rheasilvia, Da Qing and Zhao Yunlan backstory

when the --- is away, the ---- will play by

aozu, Da Qing and Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan, and a conspiracy

A Cat's Discretion by

xparrot, Shen Wei and Da Qing friendship (with secrets and poison)

Thanks for the rec! ♥ (And the other recs! I hadn't see all of those.)

Also, icon love! <3

RE: 2: Okay, where is it that he has batted and lost the 10,000 years' worth of dusty mousies and bottle-tops?

I was just revisiting this post, and this made me LOL. ♥

(Under the couch? That would be my bet -- both for home and at work, though at work I suspect Lao Li cleans up after him.)

Recs!

Paw prints on your heart, by spinningthreads
Da Qing is not losing anyone else.

Five Times Home, by

marcicat
Five times Zhao Yunlan ran away from home.

Get You A Man Who Can Do Both, by

marycrawford
The first time Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei met was while they were both petting Da Qing, so it was only reasonable that Da Qing got invested into their relationship right from the start.

Edited 2020-04-24 21:47 (UTC)

I was just looking at this post again, and those are great recs! :-)

Such a great post, yay! ♥

What's he kept and what has he lost? We see him with the necklace from Kunlun, and we see that he's lost memories.

He's also lost language: he used to speak Cat, and now he doesn't. I like to think he has a memento of Fu You somewhere too, even if he's forgotten what it is and why he still has it.

What are his relationships like with other cats over time? We see Da Ji, who else is there or has there been? Does he have parents or siblings or cousins or children?

Oh, I thought he was the only remaining Cat Yashou? In YOHE, when he first meets Kunlun, he says, "Humans, Yashou and Dixing have allied together, sending me, Haixing's one and only Cat Tribe Yashou, to ask you to join us." (Ep 34.) And when Da Ji dies, she says, "From now on you'll be the only one left in Cat Tribe again." (It's really not clear where she came from or how long she's been around! I was so surprised when she first showed up.)

What's next for him? Is he going to stick around law enforcement or is he going to try an exciting new career as a comfort animal to children?

Hee! I think he sticks with the SID, maybe lives in the flat with Lin Jing, and continues pushing Zhao Yunlan's agenda of peace between the different peoples. And/or finds a way to save the day and bring everyone back so they can all live happily ever after! :-)

I love writing Da Qing. I love how not-human he is, and how proud. My favourite things about him are:

His irreverence and teasing. ("Black-Cloaked Highness, lao-Zhao misses you!")
His protectiveness of Zhao Yunlan. (The pinky-swear!! ♥ ♥ ♥)
Gluttony! When he looks at ancient writing, he's all lip-licking and "Don't you think this word looks like a dried fish?"
Miaowing and tickling Zhao Yunlan's armpit, in human form, to wake him up.
Any time Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing are lounging around all over each other. *hearts their friendship so much*

People have already mentioned most of the fics I was going to rec, but I'll add:

The Day Before You Came by

naye was one of the first Zhao Yunlan & Da Qing fics I read. I just love their relationship in it, and it's probably informed a lot of my Da Qing & Zhao Yunlan characterisation.

Play Along by

starandrea is a conversation between Da Qing and Shen Wei during episode 1. It made me laugh and broke my heart.

This art by

mekare

And from my own fic:

Catastrophe -- Da Qing & Zhao Yunlan swap bodies during ep 11
Principles of Disaster Management -- Da Qing & Zhao Yunlan dealing with the state of the apartment in ep 9
One Fish, Two Fish -- Da Qing & Zhao Yunlan search Shen Wei's office at the university, set during or just after ep 6
Everyone's compass points to home -- Da Qing POV team fic set near the end of ep 4

And in non-fic, my "Favourite SID member" 30 Days of Guardian meme answer was about Da Qing.

Edited (fixing coding) 2020-04-25 03:22 (UTC)

re: if he's the only cat left: see, I was also surprised when Da Ji showed up, because it did seem like he was the only one? And then he wasn't? So I'm just gonna assume that the cats don't keep great track of each other, and if Da Qing hasn't seen another one in a while, he just assumes they don't exist? IDK. But I can't help but assume that if Da Ji exists, so do others. Maybe Da Qing has just gotten fed up with all of them and is like "I am the only Cat Yashou left." "No you're not!" "Sometimes I can still hear their voices."

...and apparently I lost the language question in edits, oops. I did wonder if that loss was just around now or if his knowledge has come and gone. Plus, if the cat language itself has changed but Da Qing isn't keeping up with it, thus leading to them not being able to talk to them.

I did wonder if that loss was just around now or if his knowledge has come and gone.

I'm pretty hazy on his timeline, but when Zhao Xinci first shows up, he thinks Da Qing can still speak Cat and says Da Qing's job used to be getting intel from the local strays, so it must be more recent than language drift. I assumed forgetting it was part of Da Qing's lao-Li-induced amnesia.

ETA: I'm just gonna assume that the cats don't keep great track of each other, and if Da Qing hasn't seen another one in a while, he just assumes they don't exist? IDK.

Hee! That does sound pretty Cat-like. :-)

Edited 2020-04-25 22:05 (UTC)

So I'm just gonna assume that the cats don't keep great track of each other, and if Da Qing hasn't seen another one in a while, he just assumes they don't exist?

I love that explanation. And it absolutely makes sense for Da Qing. :)

But I can't help but assume that if Da Ji exists, so do others.

Yes, those were my thoughts, too when she showed up. I'm pretty convinced that they are some other Cat Yashous somewhere. They're just rare. And maybe they all think the same thing: "I haven't seen another one of my tribe, so the most logical conclusion is to assume that I'm the only one." LOL

So I'm just gonna assume that the cats don't keep great track of each other, and if Da Qing hasn't seen another one in a while, he just assumes they don't exist? IDK.

Hee! Yes, that is perfect. :D

"I am the only Cat Yashou left." "No you're not!" "Sometimes I can still hear their voices."

LOL! That works, too. ♥

His irreverence and teasing. ("Black-Cloaked Highness, lao-Zhao misses you!")
His protectiveness of Zhao Yunlan. (The pinky-swear!! ♥ ♥ ♥)
Gluttony! When he looks at ancient writing, he's all lip-licking and "Don't you think this word looks like a dried fish?"
Miaowing and tickling Zhao Yunlan's armpit, in human form, to wake him up.
Any time Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing are lounging around all over each other. *hearts their friendship so much*

This is an excellent list! ♥

Hi, just back to link another fic: a future of a past -- Da Qing & Shen Wei, set during ep 34.

ETA: And a tiny bit of Da Qing meta about his clothes at the end of ep 27.

Edited 2020-07-29 21:44 (UTC)

Da Qing doing community outreach to the local youth:
Love it :)

Nice post, nice comments. I had a note to myself from back when we were all talking about Lin Jing, I haven't gone back to check on who said what, sorry, but people were talking about the general tendency of the SID to have weird boundary habits (by other people's standards), and this really seems to me to be a thing with Da Qing, because of his catness (which has obviously spilled over a LOT to Zhao Yunlan too). Very few physical boundaries (sitting on tables, draping himself all over Zhao Yunlan...), very few boundaries of etiquette (he says what he feels like saying to whom he feels like, gobbles down fish as he will, etc.), definitely existing boundaries of territorialism... . In some ways Da Qing's catness and his relationship with Zhao Yunlan set the tone for the SID in general, making it easier for everybody to have their own weird boundaries.

(I think I actually like Da Qing in cat form better than in human form, because his overalls drive me up the wall. My absolute favorite Da Qing moment is when he's letting Zheng Yi cuddle him, doing his best to be a cute soothing therapy animal while also giving Zhao Yunlan how-could-you-do-this-to-me eyes.)

In some ways Da Qing's catness and his relationship with Zhao Yunlan set the tone for the SID in general, making it easier for everybody to have their own weird boundaries.

Yes! ♥ ♥ ♥

In some ways Da Qing's catness and his relationship with Zhao Yunlan set the tone for the SID in general, making it easier for everybody to have their own weird boundaries.

Oooh, yes, that is a wonderful observation! ♥

I actually like Da Qing in cat form better than in human form, because his overalls drive me up the wall.

Yes!

In some ways Da Qing's catness and his relationship with Zhao Yunlan set the tone for the SID in general

I hadn't looked at it like that, but having read it I think you're 100% right.

Da Qing!!! I love him. I love all of his cat mannerisms in his human form (and how Zhao Yunlan shares some of them, and also how both of them have zero concept of personal space ... okay, honestly with anyone, but especially with each other and are so comfortable together). I wish we'd gotten some more comfort for him after he'd gotten mind-controlled, I felt so bad for him :(

Da Qing doing community outreach to the local youth
Perfect <3

What are his relationships like with other humans? Has he claimed any humans other than Zhao Yunlan?
I like to believe he claimed himself a Dixingren too :) Especially since said Dixingren is Zhao Yunlan's, so really it's only proper. I would like to see more Da Qing and Shen Wei, especially talking about YOHE and their shared memories once Da Qing remembers.

I would like to see more Da Qing and Shen Wei, especially talking about YOHE and their shared memories once Da Qing remembers.

Yes! I really loved the interactions we got between them, but I would have liked to see SO much more. Especially after Da Qing recovers his memories!

I love Da Qing. H’s my second favorite SID team member (after Chu Shuzhi). I love that he behaves like a cat even when he’s in human form – he sits on tables, he drapes himself over Zhao Yunlan, he meows to wake him up. His relationship with Zhao Yunlan is wonderful and unending source of joy when I watch the drama.

But I wonder what Zhao Yunlan’s neighbors think. Do they only see Da Qing in cat form? Or do they think that Zhao Yunlan lives with a fat black cat and a young man wearing overalls most of the time? :D

I think they think he's got a roommate and a cat, yeah. And that the roommate named the cat after himself. ;)

Or, since Daqing is a cat name, that Da Qing the human has been nicknamed after his cat? *g*

We named the dog Indiana!

Da Qing runs around in human form a lot, so I'm pretty sure the neighbours know there's a cat and a young guy in overalls living with Zhao Yunlan. *g*

I adore Da Qing so much, and especially how much of a cat he is in human form. And how much his cat behaviour clearly has rubbed off on Zhao Yunlan. These two are wonderful together. ♥

(I also have no clue about the novel, but I gather he spends most of his time in cat form there. It's probably budget-related that he doesn't in the drama, but I really love how his portrayal turned out.)

His memory isn't so great, but that may or may not be a recent development.

I think his first instance of losing his memory is back in the past, when he forgets Kunlun, but after that his memory is fine until he gets hit on the head by Lao-Li.

Da Qing doing community outreach to the local youth

Hee! :D

What's next for him? Is he going to stick around law enforcement or is he going to try an exciting new career as a comfort animal to children?

I think he'll stick with the SID for now. Once he inevitably outlives the current crew, it'll depend if he got attached to any of the newer SID members, and what the situation is like in general. (And if Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei come back. Of course!)

I was just revisiting this post and have to chime in:

And how much his cat behaviour clearly has rubbed off on Zhao Yunlan. These two are wonderful together. ♥

So much! ♥

I think his first instance of losing his memory is back in the past, when he forgets Kunlun

Presumably as a result of being around the activated Hallows? I don't think he gets a head injury back then, does he?

Once he inevitably outlives the current crew

Ouch! The thought of him outliving them makes me really sad (even though it's presumably a cycle he's been through before...).

He does get knocked unconscious during the fight with Ye Zun. Does that count as a head injury? Who knows. *g*

Ouch! The thought of him outliving them makes me really sad (even though it's presumably a cycle he's been through before...).

It's Da Qing through all those millennia in between that gets to me. Post-canon, I can just tell myself Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan are coming back, and then they just won't die again, ever, right? *g*

It's Da Qing through all those millennia in between that gets to me.

I like to think he'd spent a few thousand years with one Yashou tribe or another, but there's no evidence to support it. Maybe he took some really long naps?

Post-canon, I can just tell myself Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan are coming back, and then they just won't die again, ever, right? *g*

Or they somehow all grow old together...?

I love Da Qing :) I got a bit frustrated that the show was so vague about his background and timeline and amnesia, but, well, what did I expect from Guardian ^^

I heard that in the novel Da Qing has an instagram account with cat pictures of himself and it's very popular :D

Da Qing: Instagram Influencer is something I suddenly need and I don't know the first thing about influencers. But I have a mighty need.

I love Da Qing! It actually kind of took me by surprise how much I ended up liking his character. His relationship with Zhao Yunlan has been one of the best parts of the show imo, and my only regret is that we didn't get more with him and Shen Wei as well. Or all three of them as a team/family. Or Da Qing playing with more kittens. I also really love that he's such a cat, even when in human form.

I was just revisiting this post and have to chime in to say ITA! More Da Qing, especially with Shen Wei (and/or all three of them)! Yes!

Luckily we have fanworks... :-)

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Focus on Da Qing: king of the cats

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