Flower and Calyx Pavilion

The Flower and Calyx Pavilion in 754.

The Pavilion of the Flower and Calyx's Mutual Radiance (花萼相煇之樓, Mandarin: huā'è xiāng huī zhī lóu), or simply Flower and Calyx Pavilion (花萼樓), was a multi-storey building at Xingqing Palace in Chang'an. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang regularly hosted his banquets and parties here, particularly for his birthday celebrations.

History

Thousand Autumn Festival

On 2 September 729, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang celebrated his birthday at the Flower and Calyx Pavilion with hundreds of bureaucrats. Thereupon, his officials requested that his birthday, the 5th day of the 8th month, be a regular holiday called the Thousand Autumn Festival. On 4 May 730, palace attendants were having a lakeside banquet in the garden of the Prince of Ning outside the Spring Brightness Gate when the Emperor invited them into the Flower and Calyx Pavilion to drink with him instead. That year on 21 September, they celebrated the Thousand Autumn Festival at the pavilion for the first time, and the Emperor bestowed presents upon his officials. Those of rank four and higher were given golden mirrors, jade pouches, and fine silk while those of rank five and lower also received silks and satin corresponding to each of their station.

Flower Banquet of 754

The pavilion surrounded by Flower Banquet attendees.

In 754, the Flower and Calyx Pavilion was the main site for the Flower Banquet, an annual flower contest. During the opening ceremony, the commoners waited excitedly outside the gates to the pavilion square, and it was there that Yang Guifei's splendorous parade was held. She entered the scene from the pavilion's top floor balcony, which acted as her stage, and from that vantage point, she indicated the winning team by sending a butterfly in their direction. Once the victors had been announced, they were invited into the pavilion alongside other eminent guests, such as representatives from local Taoist temples and the Tibetan Empire's ambassador.

Inside, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang held a party of his own for his court officials and these guests. However, the victorious team for the contest was left waiting outside at the Agarwood Gazebo for their rewards well into the night. They were a group of petty criminals who had been hired to compete on behalf of Right Chancellor Yang Guozhong, who resorted to corruption to win every year with a new gang, and they were therefore not afforded any regard. They would subsequently be assassinated by the Hidden One Li E at the gazebo in revenge for the murders they committed at Duling village to acquire exquisite peonies.

Notwithstanding this, that year's Flower Festival was particularly significant because it was the same day that the jiedushi An Lushan arrived in Chang'an in response to a summons by the Emperor to secretly test his loyalty. Lushan did not make his appearance to the Emperor until after the festivities had begun, but the Emperor rejoiced it so much that he piled heaps of rewards onto him simply for showing up. Apart from promoting him to Left Deputy to the Secretary of State Affairs (尚書左僕射), he assented to his request to be given remote control over the imperial stables and for honours to also be conferred on his achieving officers. All of these served to bolster Lushan's powers and prestige among his followers, thereby enhancing his preparations for the rebellion that was to follow.

Behind the scenes

The Flower and Calyx Pavilion serves as the scene for many of the events in The Flower Banquet, the first volume of the Chinese-language manhua Assassin's Creed: Dynasty.

Name

The full name of the building, Pavilion of the Flower and Calyx's Mutual Radiance, is a metaphor for something beautiful and inspiring that emerges from a mutually affectionate relationship, like brotherhood. Li Longji (李隆基), as Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, chose this name for the building in tribute to his elder brother Li Xian (李憲), who had refused to be the heir to the throne and adamantly deferred it to Longji in recognition of his greater merits and political influence.

Calyx is the collective term for the sepals of a flower which protects the petals as they bloom. Although the calyx is technically also part of the flower, flower in the case of this name refers to the colourful petals, per the colloquial sense of the word. Just as the sepals support the petals as they bloom, so does an older sibling help to foster their younger sibling's growth. In turn the petals reflect the blossoming of the flower, and its development are what truly creates the splendour and vibrancy that flowers are known for.

For this reason, the name of the building can also be translated as Petals and Sepals Pavilion instead. In the French publication, however, the building is only known as Pavillon des Fleurs ('Pavilion of the Flowers'). The Brazilian Portuguese publication renders the name as Pavilhão do Cálice de Flores ('Flower Calyx Pavilion'). In Tokyopop's English publication of the manhua, the building's name is mostly untranslated and rendered as Hua'e Tower. In the frame where the entrance sign to the building is shown, the full name is mistranslated as Tower of Flourishing Splendour.

In Chinese, 樓 (Mandarin: lóu, Cantonese: lau^4-2) is a classification of buildings which are at least two-stories tall, but there is not an exact English counterpart for this term. Depending on the shape, form, and function of the building, the closest translation for it may be a pavilion, a tower, a high-rise, etc.

The given name of Dynasty's main protagonist, Li E, is also the very word 'calyx', and the building's name may therefore echo his relationship with the secondary protagonist Yan Jiming, whose character is symbolic of the flower.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Dynasty