Yanli

Yanli was a Chinese merchant who lived in the Norse settlement of Ravensthorpe in Mercia during the 9th century.

Biography

Yanli was born in Zhongzhou during the Tang dynasty and grew up enthused with the prospect of travelling. At some point, she became a merchant and was granted passage on a trading boat. Leaving behind her family and friends, Yanli travelled west from China and eventually wound up in England. Around 873, Yanli travelled to the Ragnarssons' Encampment in Ledecestrescire after receiving a trading request from Halfdan Ragnarsson. However, by the time she arrived, the settlement had been abandoned by the Sons of Ragnar and became a hideout for a group of Saxon bandits. Yanli and a stablemaster by the name of Rowan were subsequently captured and held at the longhouse, meant to be sold as slaves to the nearest bidder.

Sometime later, both Yanli and Rowan were found by Sigurd Styrbjornsson, Eivor Varinsdottir, and Dag Nithisson, members of the Raven Clan from Norway. The Vikings freed both Yanli and Rowan and invited them to rebuild the settlement and make it their home, which they accepted. Eivor was later appointed as the settlement's leader during Sigurd's absence and built a proper trading post for Yanli to reside in and trade.

Over time, Yanli also bore witnessed to numerous major events in the settlement, including Dag Nithisson's death in a holmgang against Eivor around 875, and later Eivor's return from Norway in 877.

Joining the Hidden Ones

Yanli, alongside Eluric, Rowan, and Tove, later joined the Hidden Ones and trained under Hytham in Ravensthorpe.

Behind the scenes

The exact explanation for Yanli's birthplace of Zhongzhou is not given in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. In addition to being an alias for China, ^{[citation needed]} Zhongzhou can also be written in four different forms of place names in Chinese characters in the Tang dynasty:

1. 重州, established in 619 CE in modern Nanzhang County, Hubei Province and abolished in 627;
2. 中州, established in 619 CE in modern day Daning County, Shanxi Province and abolished in 627;
3. 忠州, established in 634 CE in Zhongxian County, Chongqing and abolished in 1913;
4. 種州, established in 631 CE in Huachi County, Gansu Province and occupied by the Tibetan Empire in 764

As both Zhongzhou formed in 619 CE were abolished two hundred years before the events of the game, this leaves out the two Zhongzhou from the 630s. Of these two, the last one appears most likely. At the time, the main resident of the area was the Tangut Yeli (野利) clan. According to the work by linguists Wang Li and Li Fang-Kuei in translating Middle Chinese, Ye is presumed to be Jǐa, and Yan is presumed to be Jiän. Further, Yanli does not follow the typical Chinese naming conventions but is a separate surname or given name. Therefore, Yanli is likely to be a sound change of Yeli, and Zhongzhou is likely to refer to 种州 rather than China proper.

Gallery

• 
  Yanli and Rowan found by Sigurd, Eivor and Dag
• 
  Yanli and Rowan joining the Ravensthorpe settlement
• 
  Yanli and the residents surrounding Eivor after she defeated Dag

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (first appearance)
  • The Last Chapter
• The World of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Journey to the North – Logs and Files of a Hidden One (mentioned only)