sid_guardian | Focus on: The Dixing Bar (episodes 16 and 17)

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type: scene discussion

Focus on: The Dixing Bar (episodes 16 and 17)

Location of scenes:
Episode 16: 25:00-26:10, 27:35-28:55
Episode 17: 5:57-7:45

Screencaps taken from the rewatchalong, thank you!

Episode 16

While Shen Wei is talking to the Regent, Zhao Yunlan is running around Dixing, getting into arguments with kids (and one future king) and talking to a suprisingly emotional pillar. Eventually he finds a bar, with some people loitering outside wearing masks. One is in the middle of vomiting and Zhao Yunlan takes his mask while he’s bent over. It is black and covers half his face, oddly like that of the Black Cloak Envoy.

Inside, the bar is crowded. Most people are wearing plain masks but some are fancier and one man is wearing a pig face.

Zhao Yunlan orders a beer. The bartender, who is the only person in the bar not wearing a mask, observes that someone else was just wearing the exact same mask that Zhao Yunlan is wearing now. Zhao Yunlan assures him that it is a coincidence, and asks if this is a masquerade, which are all the rage in Haixing. The bartender is baffled by the question.

In 16:27:35, the kids make it to the bar, where a brawl has just started. The bartender complains about the young people of this generation, and Zhao Yunlan says, they must not have been taught well at school. The bartender asks, what’s a school? Zhao Yunlan says it’s a joke. The fight continues, and one of the people involved in the fight gets slammed on the floor where he cuts his arm with a broken beer bottle. Zhao Yunlan says to take him to the hospital, and the bartender asks what’s a hospital. At this point the bartender suspects that Zhao Yunlan is not from here and rips his mask off. The person whose mask Zhao Yunlan took calls him out and all the bar patrons call out to get the human thief. The three kids come to get Zhao Yunlan and the guy in the pig mask grabs him and yanks him outside. He turns out to be Butler Wu, from episode 5, who is now working for Shen Wei.

Episode 17

Shen Wei, looking for Zhao Yunlan, runs into the bar without a mask.

He says he’s looking for a man with a moustache and maybe a lollipop. The man whose mask Zhao Yunlan took shouts that he’s dead, that he killed them with his fist. He asks Shen Wei to say what their relationship is, then everyone in the bar shouts out that he should tell them. Shen Wei looks distraught or possibly scared, then he turns into the Black Cloak Envoy. The unmasked man accuses him of just presenting to be the Black Cloak Envoy and everyone calls him a fake and throws things at him. Shen Wei uses his powers and everyone bows. The bartender looks scared and then gives Shen Wei the information that he has.

Things I find fascinating about the scenes:

1. The bar seems to be the main functioning social institution in Dixing. Eventually, in episode 40, it is the people of the bar who tell the truth about Ye Zun and take him down. Here we also see people of the bar are also acting as some sort of community patrol, with the bartender finding out that Zhao Yunlan isn’t from there and later the people in the bar calling Shen Wei a fake. So they are a somewhat suspicious bunch, for good and for bad.
2. The masks! And that that the bartender immediately recognizes Zhao Yunlan’s mask, even though it is fairly basic black. This may show that the bartender is unusually perceptive, or that the masks are significant, or that this particular mask is more significant than it looks, or all of the above.
3. This is when we find out that Dixing has no schools and no hospitals. I think this was where I first became super-invested in wanting things to get better for Dixing.

Questions:

1. So, what are the masks all about? Are they a way to have fun in a world that doesn’t seem to have many other opportunities for that? Or are they something more serious? Is the bar somewhat subversive, so that people have to hide their identities somewhat to go there? Or is it cultural and a form of self-expression? Why did Butler Wu have a distinctive one and Zhao Yunlan end up with one that looks kind of like that of the Black Cloak Envoy? Why is the bartender the only one not wearing a mask?
2. When the bartender complains about kids of this generation, do you think it reflects anything that has actually changed in the past generation? Also, he doesn’t look any older than the bar partons, so do you think he is actually of an older generation?
3. Why do you think Dixing has no schools and no hospitals? Do you think that gets fixed post-canon? (I know there are some good fics about this so feel free to rec them.)
4. The people in the bar react as if a human being there is bad but not overwhelmingly surprising. Do you think humans visit Dixing? For what purpose? Why do you think the people in the bar don't like it?
5. The bar patrons are very concerned that Shen Wei might be a fake and bow to him when they find out he’s real. What do you think they know or believe about the Black Cloak Envoy?
6. The bar patrons seem to be almost entirely men, although I think I noticed one woman. Do you think this is significant? (In general there seem to be few women in Dixing, I wonder if the gender balance is different there.)
7 What do you think the bar is like when the heroes aren’t there?
8. What else can we figure out from these scenes about Dixingian life and culture?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

This scene is a treasure trove for anyone who wants to play with worldbuilding. I don't have a lot of answers though, only more questions and speculation.

1. So, what are the masks all about?

I'm really intrigued by the masks, but I have no idea what they're about. Is it a tradition that started with the Black-Cloaked Envoy? Is it as old as Shen Wei? Or more recent? Maybe it only started after Shen Wei woke up. (Or, considering that Ye Zun also wears a mask in YOHE, maybe it's an even older tradition.)

Maybe the bar is a hub for smugglers, and they once got masks instead of T-shirts by mistake, so now everyone has masks. Which brings me to: where did they get these masks anyway? In fact, where do they get their alcohol? Do they make it? Is it smuggled from Haixing?

The bartender being the only one not wearing a mask makes me think that the masks are used to conceal people's identity. Since the bartender also seems to be the owner of the bar, he's the only one who couldn't hope to conceal his identity with a mask.

2. When the bartender complains about kids of this generation, do you think it reflects anything that has actually changed in the past generation? Also, he doesn’t look any older than the bar partons, so do you think he is actually of an older generation?

I'm still not sure if I think Dixingren have significantly longer life spans than Haixingren, but stuff like this seems to point to yes. Or maybe they're all very dramatic and like to exaggerate.

3. Why do you think Dixing has no schools and no hospitals? Do you think that gets fixed post-canon?

I think that canon basically says that the reason is the Regent's obstruction. And if we're to talk strictly post-canon, with how things are left--Dixing isolated from Haixing, the Regent still alive--I don't think that gets fixed any time soon.

4. The people in the bar react as if a human being there is bad but not overwhelmingly surprising. Do you think humans visit Dixing? For what purpose? Why do you think the people in the bar don't like it?

Before you've pointed this out, I would have said that Haixingren do not go to Dixing, but now I'm not so sure. It's certainly more interesting to think that actually there's two-way traffic between Dixing and Haixing.

5. The bar patrons are very concerned that Shen Wei might be a fake and bow to him when they find out he’s real. What do you think they know or believe about the Black Cloak Envoy?

They're in awe of the real Black-Cloaked Envoy, but their first thought is that Shen Wei is actually impersonating himself. That makes me think that maybe that's an ongoing occurrence--people impersonating the Black-Cloaked Envoy--and that the Black-Cloaked Envoy is really isolated from regular Dixingren. They can't imagine that they have the real Black-Cloaked Envoy among them.

Yes, there's so much to figure out, and you could take it in so many different directions. I walked away feeling really sad for Dixing, but you could also take all their masks as a sign of a vibrant and creative culture that we mostly don't see.

Since the bartender also seems to be the owner of the bar, he's the only one who couldn't hope to conceal his identity with a mask.

That makes sense. ::nods::

Or maybe they're all very dramatic and like to exaggerate.

I mean, when we think of the Dixingians we know, that kind of checks out.

It's certainly more interesting to think that actually there's two-way traffic between Dixing and Haixing.

Yeah, other than this one scene there's no real evidence of it. But it's interesting that their reaction is to want to hurt him, not to be shocked at how impossible it is that a human is there at all.

That makes me think that maybe that's an ongoing occurrence--people impersonating the Black-Cloaked Envoy--and that the Black-Cloaked Envoy is really isolated from regular Dixingren.

I like that idea, that impersonators happen from time to time and so are more likely than the real BCE appearing.

Thank you for commenting!

Yeah, other than this one scene there's no real evidence of it. But it's interesting that their reaction is to want to hurt him, not to be shocked at how impossible it is that a human is there at all.

This makes me wonder how much of their anger is a product of encountering a Haixingren and how much is it just that Zhao Yunlan interrupted Special Mask Night, like

china_shop says below. The bar patrons seem to react this angrily to the fact that Zhao Yunlan stole someone's mask and his being Haixingren seems incidental, but I think other interpretations are plausible.

Thank you for commenting!

Thank you for writing this post. It opened my mind to some interesting possibilities for Dixing life.

In fact, where do they get their alcohol? Do they make it? Is it smuggled from Haixing?

There's never any indication in the show that there's trade between Haixing and Dixing, and surely smuggling on that scale would be remarked upon, so I figure they make their own. (We only see a small part of Dixing, but there must be some kind of food production -- why not hops, etc, too?)

And if we're to talk strictly post-canon, with how things are left--Dixing isolated from Haixing, the Regent still alive--I don't think that gets fixed any time soon.

The Regent is still alive, but so is An Bai, and he's officially king and seems to be freed from the throne, so I think it's possible that things will change now that time/progress have been restored. Especially since An Bai isn't part of the aristocracy that has presumably been benefiting from the regime we see in canon. /my determinedly positive 2 cents ;-)

Edited 2020-12-07 04:12 (UTC)

There's never any indication in the show that there's trade between Haixing and Dixing, and surely smuggling on that scale would be remarked upon, so I figure they make their own. (We only see a small part of Dixing, but there must be some kind of food production -- why not hops, etc, too?)

I always figured that the Haixing-style clothing in Dixing means that there is some smuggling going on. I don't know how extensive that would be, but considering that almost everyone seems to wear them, I'd say it needs to be on the larger scale. However, like you said, there has to be some kind of food production, and there's no reason why they couldn't make their own alcohol.

The Regent is still alive, but so is An Bai, and he's officially king and seems to be freed from the throne, so I think it's possible that things will change now that time/progress have been restored. Especially since An Bai isn't part of the aristocracy that has presumably been benefiting from the regime we see in canon. /my determinedly positive 2 cents ;-)

The problem for me is that I don't think there are significant enough changes for reform to happen soon. That said, the same forces of discontent (minus Ye Zun's insidious influence) that led to the events in canon must still exist. Only now there's also hope with the restoring of time/progress, and since I personally prefer to imagine a more grass-roots approach to changes in Dixing, the fact that An Bai is there to counteract the Regent's hindrances could very well lead to faster change. So I could very easily be persuaded of a more positive outlook.

I always figured that the Haixing-style clothing in Dixing means that there is some smuggling going on.

Ha, true, there is that. They're unlikely to have sneaker factories...

and since I personally prefer to imagine a more grass-roots approach to changes in Dixing, the fact that An Bai is there to counteract the Regent's hindrances could very well lead to faster change.

Yes, I think so too. In a recent fixit, I had this happen:

Amid the chaos of last month’s battle, the Hallows had fused with the Dixing throne and chased away the darkness; through the throne, they were linked to An Bai, the Dijun, who had moved swiftly to establish a council that could share the burden of governing. Of course, by political necessity the council included the Regent, but he could do far less damage as one voice among many.

...which was a solution I was quite pleased with. I imagine An Bai would be quite happy to divest himself of as much power as possible, given how he had to be coerced into the position.

Ooh, what fic is the excerpt from? Have you posted it?

It's Remembrance and Renewal, about the start of Dixing's tourism industry. :)

Thank you!

The link does not work*, but the fic is excellent, so here it is for anyone seeing the comment and wondering about it: Remembrance and Renewal.

[*a herf instead of href in the html tag]

Oops! Clearly I shouldn't try to HTML on my phone. Thanks for fixing it! <3

Yay, this is a great post! I love this scene so much. :-)

1. So, what are the masks all about? Are they a way to have fun in a world that doesn’t seem to have many other opportunities for that? Or are they something more serious? Is the bar somewhat subversive, so that people have to hide their identities somewhat to go there? Or is it cultural and a form of self-expression?

When we see An Bai & co in the bar in ep 23 (15:55), none of the customers are wearing masks, so I think ZYL must have stumbled in on Special Mask Night. Maybe whatever the reason for it, it's connected with everyone seeming particularly quick to anger on this occasion, somehow? Or maybe that's just because they're drunk? Idk. The fact that the vomiting man has come back inside to drink more even without his mask suggests the masks aren't compulsory -- or that if they are, he's too drunk to care and no one else is enforcing the rule. Also, when ZYL first arrives, he hesitates in the doorway and no one pays him any special attention because of his bare face.

I wrote a fic with a theory of the significance of the masks, which has become my headcanon, so I find it hard to see them as anything but memorial masks. :-)

But separate from that, I think it's interesting how the masks tie in thematically with what Shen Wei tells Chu Shuzhi in episode 2: "Dixing is now a prison of torment. As a result, everyone has become two-faced." This is like a literal representation of that two-facedness, perhaps?

At this point the bartender suspects that Zhao Yunlan is not from here and rips his mask off.

I find that really interesting, given the significance of de-masking in the show. To have a random guy snatch the mask off ZYL's face pairs oddly with ZYL eventually doing the same to the young Envoy. Maybe it's foreshadowing? :-)

2. When the bartender complains about kids of this generation, do you think it reflects anything that has actually changed in the past generation? Also, he doesn’t look any older than the bar partons, so do you think he is actually of an older generation?

Heh. I tend to assume it's just "kids these days!" eyerolling. And isn't he specifically talking about An Bai & his friends, who are relatively young? I read the bartender as maybe ten years older than them.

But it's also a response to An Bai & co triggering a violent incident, so that suggests that discontent is growing, especially among young people, probably largely thanks to the Regent's terrible governance.

3. Why do you think Dixing has no schools and no hospitals? Do you think that gets fixed post-canon? (I know there are some good fics about this so feel free to rec them.)

I think Dixing probably has scholars and healers but no centralised system for ensuring access to them or standardising a curriculum. Setting up schools is a big undertaking, and I suspect the Regent has been blocking Shen Wei's attempts at progress in that area because educating the population might lead to people making more demands of the government, or thinking themselves equal to the nobility. (We know there's aristocracy because the Deacon objects to An Bai being named king on the grounds that he isn't a noble, iirc.) But the population seems to be literate, as far as we know, so there must be some teaching happening somehow, even if it's mostly homeschooling. (Maybe that's where the women are!)

I also think resources are generally scarce, and no one has the time (ha!) or energy to organise an actual hospital. Maybe it's that "hospital" implies a level of technology that they just don't have access to. But they must have traditional remedies and would know who to go to when they're injured or sick. (I wonder what happened to the man bleeding on the floor! He's not there by the time Shen Wei arrives, is he?)

That said, schools (and to a lesser extent, hospitals) are very important to Shen Wei, so I fully expect he'd be involved in setting up a school in a post-canon world where he survives, if whoever is governing permits it or he can find a way around them (private schools!). (I have a story along those lines: All the Colours of the World and mean to write more in that series at some point.) And even if he doesn't survive, it might happen in his name.

Here's another fic about setting up a school: powers of learning by

nnozomi -- really thoughtful and beautiful, with excellent use of the ensemble!

4. The people in the bar react as if a human being there is bad but not overwhelmingly surprising. Do you think humans visit Dixing? For what purpose? Why do you think the people in the bar don't like it?

That's such an excellent point! I hadn't thought about that before, that they're quick to assume and don't seem surprised, but you're totally right. The resentment makes sense to me, in that Haixing is sufficiently widely known that some people choose to go there. It's a forbidden land of plenty, so if people know about the Treaty, at least some of them would resent being left in the dark with no resources. The people of Haixing would naturally bear the brunt of those grievances.

But the fact that people jump to that conclusion -- I guess no one recognises ZYL, and he's just weird enough that he has to be a foreigner, and where else could he be from? Or maybe smugglers come to Dixing with clothes and food, and they stir up trouble while they're there, so Haixing people generally have a bad reputation?

5. The bar patrons are very concerned that Shen Wei might be a fake and bow to him when they find out he’s real. What do you think they know or believe about the Black Cloak Envoy?

I think they assume he can't be the real Envoy because the Envoy is rarely seen in Dixing, especially outside the palace. He's probably as much a legend as he ever was -- the powerful general who won an ancient war and (re)founded their nation, a living ancestor -- and his appearance in their humble local pub beggars belief. (Plus, if he were the real Envoy, why would he arrive incognito? That makes no sense!) Their initial reaction to his change of outfit is to defend the Envoy's reputation, however misguidedly. So yeah, I think they revere him -- after all, later on the bartender raises the prices at his bar on the grounds that the Envoy had once been there. (And then his patrons all stay away because of the price hike, until ZYL gives the bartender business advice.) Presumably he wouldn't have used the Envoy as a marketing ploy if he wasn't widely respected and admired?

6. The bar patrons seem to be almost entirely men, although I think I noticed one woman. Do you think this is significant? (In general there seem to be few women in Dixing, I wonder if the gender balance is different there.)

I don't think it's particularly significant. It's an old-fashioned society, and I expect many of the women are home with their families, or gathered together in other, less rowdy places.

7 What do you think the bar is like when the heroes aren’t there?

See ep 23, and also the ending, just before the Dixing clock starts up again. (I did the character post for the bartender, so I've scoured these scenes.) Hopefully people are a bit less grumpy and violent! :-)

8. What else can we figure out from these scenes about Dixingian life and culture?

When ZYL arrives, the bartender hands him a half-full mug of beer without requiring payment first. Maybe the first glass is on the house, or there's enough trust that even strangers can run up a tab? (Of course, he never does pay.)

Some things I particularly love about these scenes:

Upon arriving in a new environment, ZYL immediately sets out to make a friend and learn what he can.

He also reveals his very Haixing-centric headspace, even this far into the show, by suggesting that Dixing needs to keep up with Haixing trends (the masquerade remark).

Even when hiding from dangerous people who are hunting him down, as soon as someone is hurt, ZYL can't help stepping in and trying to organise for them to get medical help. <3 <3 <3

As soon as he's unmasked, he grins and waves dorkily to everyone, to try to placate them / endear himself to them. (Basically, I just love everything ZYL does ~~in this scene~~. *g*)

Shen Wei's description of ZYL. *g*

After the vomiting man says he killed ZYL, no one speaks up to contradict him (because no one wants to get into a fight with him?). Heh.

The crowd demanding to know, "What is your relationship?" I presume they're actually going, "Why are you looking for that human?" but it does read like "TELL US YOUR FEELINGS FOR HIM!" :D :D :D

Shen Wei doesn't take any action against the man that instigated the jeering and food-throwing -- though he totally could have (and I bet the guy woke up sick with horror the next day, if he remembered what happened)!

The bartender whispering in the Envoy's ear! (Is he telling the Envoy how to find An Bai & co, and doesn't want his customers to know he's a snitch? That's my best guess.)

Edited (missing parenthesis; last edits, I promise! /o\) 2020-12-07 04:20 (UTC)

I think Dixing probably has scholars and healers but no centralised system for ensuring access to them or standardising a curriculum.

I really like your reading of this aspect of Dixing life.

Upon arriving in a new environment, ZYL immediately sets out to make a friend and learn what he can.

I, too, love everything Zhao Yunlan does in this scene, and the things you've highlighted are particularly excellent.

*high fives you*

I really like that take on the masks! Life is so hard in Dixing, I like thinking that they have significant rituals and celebrations at least. Having it be a memorial helps them deal with all their tragedy while affirming life and celebration.

I expect many of the women are home with their families, or gathered together in other, less rowdy places.

This is also interesting - the absence of women in the bar could mean that there are women's cultural spaces that we're not seeing.

"TELL US YOUR FEELINGS FOR HIM!" :D :D :D

It really does sound like it!

Thank you for the recs about school fics! I knew there had to be some.

I really like that take on the masks! Life is so hard in Dixing, I like thinking that they have significant rituals and celebrations at least. Having it be a memorial helps them deal with all their tragedy while affirming life and celebration.

Thanks! And oh, I just realised that young Shen Wei's answer to Kunlun about why he wears his mask could be why he wears it all the time (even into battle!) and not just on memorial day. :-)

"TELL US YOUR FEELINGS FOR HIM!" :D :D :D

It really does sound like it!

There's a phrase in Korean, 무슨 사이?, that means, variously, "what kind of relationship is it?" / "who is that person (in relation to you)?" / "how do you know each other?", so I always assume it's something like that (though I have no idea if Chinese has the same kind of idiom) -- relationship doesn't necessarily mean relationship. :-)

Other people have already covered most of the questions better than I could, but just on the subject of Haixingren visiting Dixing, I think there must be a smuggling operation set up at least. Dixing does not seem to have the resources to make the kind of clothing they all wear there (and they're clearly not in any way traditional Dixing garb, and how would you even grow cotton in such a place?), and at least some of those masks are plastic, which would to me suggest they come from Haixing, too. We just never see any sort of advanced industry in Dixing at all.

Regarding what they might do in the absence of hospitals, well, they might take hurt people to someone whose Dixing power is knitting bones or stopping bleeding etc. Surely those people would advertise themselves and make a good profit from their skills.

On consideration, I wonder if it would be smuggling or open trade. Wouldn't keeping it under wraps in Dixing be tricky, given the scale of it? (And either way, what are the smugglers being paid in? Ore? Rare metals? Locally brewed liquor? Something more sinister?)

We just never see any sort of advanced industry in Dixing at all.

I think it's hard to assess the whole place based on what we see, though? Most of the action takes place in and around the palace. And there are people in the streets carrying pickaxes and stuff, at one point, so there must be more to the place than just the city itself. Idk. :-)

Given that Dixingren aren't meant to come upstairs, I thought smuggling, but you're right nobody stops Haixingren... wait, no, they'd have to get through the portals. Hm. So Dixingren illegally residing in Haixing would have to activate the portals for the Haixingren who are selling to Dixing. The selling to Dixing might not be illegal but the channels are.

So... I guess the jury is out?

It's entirely possible that there's official trade! The Regent in Dixing and Shen Wei in Haixing could both open the portal for that purpose if there was an agreement.

I think it's hard to assess the whole place based on what we see, though? Most of the action takes place in and around the palace.

Yeah, agreed - and there are places in the old parts of the city I live in where you wouldn't be able to tell what kind of industry we have, either. But still, I doubt Dixing is making all those Haixing clothes on their own.

It's entirely possible that there's official trade! The Regent in Dixing and Shen Wei in Haixing could both open the portal for that purpose if there was an agreement.

Do you think the fact that Zhao Yunlan doesn't remark on the Haixing-style clothes he sees means that he knows about it? And what currency is Dixing paying in -- gold? Ore?

Actually, if there's official trade, that would explain why the Regent is on pretty good diplomatic terms with officials in Haixing, to the point where he can arrange Shen Wei's being allowed to go up there to live, and getting him that cover ID.

Do you think the fact that Zhao Yunlan doesn't remark on the Haixing-style clothes he sees means that he knows about it?

Oh, another good point! He doesn't seem at all surprised.

Actually, if there's official trade, that would explain why the Regent is on pretty good diplomatic terms with officials in Haixing

True, in which case the trade has been established for some time. I think it would make sense.

What Dixing trades, I'm not sure. We don't see enough of it to know what they might have that Haixing would want and that Dixing would be willing to part with.

Oh, another good point! He doesn't seem at all surprised.

Well, he does say, slightly surprised, that Dixing seems like a normal town and Dixingren are people too, which might include their clothes? I could go either way on that.

Idk, I'd have thought the clothes would come up separately? We certainly all found them worth mentioning! *g* But you're right, it might have been lumped into that reaction.

The bar seems to be the main functioning social institution in Dixing.

Though there must be others! When the bartender raised his prices people stayed away, and I don't believe they would have if they hadn't had alternate places to go to.

This may show that the bartender is unusually perceptive, or that the masks are significant, or that this particular mask is more significant than it looks, or all of the above.

Or that mask night is a regular institution, and this particular mask-wearer is a regular?

Is the bar somewhat subversive, so that people have to hide their identities somewhat to go there?

Not the bar itself, given that we see people there without masks at other times, but maybe there's an event that night?

Why is the bartender the only one not wearing a mask?

If at least part of the masks' purpose is to disguise people, it makes sense that the bartender, whose identity can't be disguised, isn't wearing one.

When the bartender complains about kids of this generation, do you think it reflects anything that has actually changed in the past generation? Also, he doesn’t look any older than the bar partons, so do you think he is actually of an older generation?

People make "kids these days" comments at almost all ages, don't they? Including about people not that much younger than they are.

Why do you think Dixing has no schools and no hospitals? Do you think that gets fixed post-canon? (I know there are some good fics about this so feel free to rec them.)

They had must have had (and still have) healers and scholars. I don't know why they never ended up creating schools or hospitals, even private ones, in the past - but in more recent years, it's mainly the Regent wanting to hold on to power by basically not allowing anything to change. Especially not if it's a change the Envoy advocates for, since he doesn't want to give any ground there.

I think just the fact of sunlight existing in Dixing is going to cause major social upheaval, and a lot of things are going to change. Hopefully including that.

The people in the bar react as if a human being there is bad but not overwhelmingly surprising.

Huh. I never realised that before! Maybe humans have visited Dixing before? Actually, doesn't Shen Wei warn Zhao Yunlan about Dixing not being good for humans? Maybe that's not just abstract knowledge, but comes from experience.

The bar patrons are very concerned that Shen Wei might be a fake and bow to him when they find out he’s real. What do you think they know or believe about the Black Cloak Envoy?

They know him as a heroic figure and revere him, but don't know anything about him as a person. He clearly doesn't mingle.

The bar patrons seem to be almost entirely men, although I think I noticed one woman. Do you think this is significant?

I don't think so, no. We see so little of Dixing! Absolutely anything could be happening out of our view.

When the bartender raised his prices people stayed away, and I don't believe they would have if they hadn't had alternate places to go to.

Hee! Now I'm imagining them all crammed into Ma Yanfei's kitchen or living room, standing around drinking, surly and sulky, knowing they'd be much more comfortable at the bar but staying away to teach that uppity bartender a lesson. They won't be exploited! *g*

Or that mask night is a regular institution, and this particular mask-wearer is a regular?

Yeah, I think there might be a degree of "everyone knows everyone", which is why they immediately pick Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei as outsiders, too.

People make "kids these days" comments at almost all ages, don't they? Including about people not that much younger than they are.

Yes, though not usually about people older than them? But here I think he was speaking specifically about An Bai & co, who are what, early to mid twenties?

Actually, doesn't Shen Wei warn Zhao Yunlan about Dixing not being good for humans? Maybe that's not just abstract knowledge, but comes from experience.

Oh, good point! Maybe in the past when human-Dixing couples or adopted siblings wanted to stay together, he used to take them both to Dixing (with the human's agreement), and it kept ending badly? /o\

He clearly doesn't mingle.

LOL!

Hee! Now I'm imagining them all crammed into Ma Yanfei's kitchen or living room, standing around drinking, surly and sulky, knowing they'd be much more comfortable at the bar but staying away to teach that uppity bartender a lesson. They won't be exploited! *g*

LOL! Fun! :D

Maybe in the past when human-Dixing couples or adopted siblings wanted to stay together, he used to take them both to Dixing (with the human's agreement), and it kept ending badly? /o\

Oh no, that's too depressing for me ... :(

(Maybe Shen Wei and the scientists can come up with some kind of inoculation??)

(Maybe Shen Wei and the scientists can come up with some kind of inoculation??)

Maybe that's why Shen Wei became a scientist, to invent a vaccine so Kunlun/Zhao Yunlan can be inoculated against dark energy and they can live happily ever after in a Dixingian shack! \o?

Yes please to the Dixing shack! :D

This is a really interesting post! I love the worldbuilding details of the Dixing bar. It raises so many good questions.

Thank you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Focus on: The Dixing Bar (episodes 16 and 17)

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