Shifting Spring Cage
Yichunkan (移春檻) was a lavish flower wagon owned by Yang Guozhong, who was chancellor to Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. It was the centrepiece to his entry to the 754 Flower Banquet, a competition for the most beautiful and magnificent flower exhibit.
Design
According to Kaiyuan–Tianbao Anecdotes (開元天寶遺事), the Yichunkan was a wagon with wooden wheels, a floor made of planks, and a cage installed upon it. In springtime, an assortment of exquisite, blooming, and exotic flora would be planted within the cage. Through a mechanism linking the wheels with the cage, the cage would automatically rotate as the wagon was being towed. It was regarded as a wondrous exhibit to behold wherever it went.[1][2]
History
The Yichunkan wagon was the main set in Yang Guozhong's presentation to the annual Flower Banquet. This was a contest which he participated in every year via a proxy team. With little exception, his delegates would be petty criminals who resorted to extortion and even flagrant robbery to acquire the plants used to embellish their wagons.[3] This was no different in 754, when the gang hired by Guozhong murdered seventeen villagers from Duling,[4] a farming community specialized in high-quality peonies.[1] Owing to his underhanded tactics and his tremendous wealth, Yang Guozhong and his Yichunkan wagon were declared the winners of the 754 Flower Festival as usual.[5]
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed: Dynasty (mentioned only)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – Special 1
- ↑ Wang Renyu. Kaiyuan-Tianbao Anecdotes, Scroll 2, line 46, "Yichunkan". Chinese Text Project. Accessed 10 April 2021.
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Flower Banquet (Part 1)
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Flower Banquet (Part 4)
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Dynasty – The Flower Banquet (Part 2)