the world of rivers and lakes

A Harry Potter headcanon blog that combines a magical China and Chinese wizarding society with the xianxia genre–please read the 'About' page to learn more.

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autunm in china

[mahoutokoro-at-nagumo]

Do you have any idea if there are differences between Chinese and western wandlore? Like difference in materials and different philosophies about actually making the wands?

There is definitely a difference in materials and philosophies! You can browse the wandlore tag on my sideblog @chinesewizarding-xianxia for various materials (cores & woods) and their use in the Chinese wixen world.

Philosophies will definitely differ, but I haven’t thought too much about the details. Both China and Japan have used peach wood in purification/dispelling evil spirits since ancient times (you can read more about the significance of the peach and peach wood to Chinese culture here).

I do know that in my headcanons, Japanese wandmakers prefer to use a minimal amount of magic/spells when carving their wands, as they believe this interferes with the wand and core’s innate magic. Chinese wandmakers might also believe this, perhaps even more than the Japanese ones, due to how they view magic and interacted with it over the centuries. There is some truth to this, since yokai/yaoguai magic both differ from the standard human magic and exert a lot of influence on the environment in their respective countries of origin.

[chinesewizarding-xianxia]

Relevant to this blog as well!

[peonypavillion]

“For he would be thinking of love Till the stars had run away And the shadows eaten the moon.” 

by: 羡德

[chinesewizarding-xianxia]

I love that you're doing this! I do feel like Rowling leaves a glaring hole where Chinese witches and wizards are concerned. I hope to see more from your blog! Also, I'm here if you need someone to bounce ideas off of (I read a LOT of xianxia novels).

Aw, thanks! I’m glad you enjoy them! I also felt that the whole situation was pretty pitiful and reductionist - if you had to have one and only one magic school in Asia, you would most certainly have to go with India or China.

I’m actually looking to overhaul the sects, since I’m much better versed in the Xianxia genre and Chinese novels in general now! I’ll have to mull it over, haha. Feel free to share any wishes/hopes for what you’d like to see, though, because I’m still much less knowledgeable about this area than Japan. 

[chinesewizarding-xianxia]

Wand Cores: Pengniao Feather

The peng (鹏, péng) is a giant bird that flies over the ocean and coastline, far above the clouds. It is capable of flight without rest for six months at a time and dives into the ocean to hunt for prey, giving it the reputation as a creature that transforms between fish and bird form in ancient times. Although the peng is an extraordinarily large bird, it can accelerate at high speeds and generate small gales to ward off potential predators such as dragons.

Its vast range, solitary nature, and enormous size make it difficult to harvest the feathers of these yaoguai easily. The coasts and rocky islands out at sea are the best areas to find dropped feathers, as the peng is a creature that does not take kindly to human interference.

Wandlore


Pengniao feathers are powerful wand cores that are rather stubborn by nature, taking more time than other cores to learn spells. They tend to be willful, and although they are not particular about who owns them, require a wix with patience and perseverance. However, as a core, pengniao feathers are adaptable, taking to most woods without problem.

As mentioned previously, wands with these hairs as their cores are rather indifferent to ownership, which makes them good secondhand wands.

Image Sources: left, right References: 1, 2

[chinesewizarding-xianxia]

Wand Cores: Baize Hair

The baize (白泽, báizé) is a highly intelligent creature native to remote areas of the Kunlun Mountains. Although it cannot speak human language as muggle legends claim, it can certainly understand speech and follow complex directions. It is highly protective and territorial, but not inherently violent or aggressive, therefore, people have used their image in protective talismans since ancient times.

The parts of the baize have incredible medicinal value, but this creature cannot be bred in captivity and measures have been taken to protect the herds that still live in the Kunlun Mountains. In return for this protection, the baize will often gift their hairs to the wixes that guard them.

Wandlore


Baize hair is not a particularly powerful core despite its rarity, but it is valuable in wands paired to wixes in the healing arts, as it requires quite a bit of skill and dexterity to produce potent spells – which is especially good for the types of healing spells that require finesse. Baize hair wands are, however, almost unrivaled in the speed and efficiency with which they learn new spells.

Image Sources: left, right References: 1, 2

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Wand Woods: Willow

Willow | Salix | 柳 | Liǔ

The willow is a remarkably resilient tree, capable of growing from simple cuttings and broken branches, with aggressive roots that can cause some trouble to human settlements. It is a common ingredient in traditional medicine, particularly as a painkiller.

The willow is a tree most readily associated with deflecting the magic inherent in the environment and yaoguai away from human settlements. One must take care when planting willow trees, however, as they have a strong influence on the fengshui of a place. Wixes of the past took advantage of the willow’s deflective properties by using only the branches of the tree to keep ghosts and other yaoguai away. This is the origin of the use of willow branches during the Qingming Festival, so that the boundaries of the magical and the mundane are preserved.

Wandlore

The willow wand does not have a propensity for protective magic as is the case with the peach wand, but it does produce very consistent spells. One drawback of willow wood is its tendency to clash with the cores placed within it. For willow, stronger is not necessarily better – few willow wands will take to dragon heartstrings, qilin hair, or fenghuang feathers.

A willow wand is a sign of parting, just as the word for the tree sounds similar to the word for ‘parting ways’. Although not always the case, many wielders of willow wands stray far from home, some by circumstance, others wanderers at heart. Willow is a symbol of humility, and it is often the case that its ideal owner is a humble individual at times unaware of their own merit and talent.

Willow is an excellent wood to work, as it is quite pliable and less likely to splinter than many other woods. Application of the appropriate spells will make it the perfect practice wood for apprentice wandmakers. And although it is pliable, the wood is tough enough to endure quite a bit of abuse.

Recommended Cores: Baize hair, pengniao feathers Cores to Avoid: Dragon heartstrings, qilin hair, fenghuang feathers

Image Sources: top, center, bottom References: 1, 2, 3

[fuckyeahchinesefashion]

Chinese calligraphy by 南宫雁小二

[chinesewizarding-xianxia]

Wand Cores: Longma Hair

The longma (龙马, lóngmǎ) is a breed of winged horse native to the mountains of Qinghai Province, but their range has extended to Shandong Province on the eastern coast over centuries of human development. They are currently bred on protected ranges in the remote mountains of Qinghai, where their dragon-like features offer them sufficient protection against the region’s harsh climate.

The longma was mistaken for a relative of the dragon in the past, given the partially magic-resistant scales and ability of flight. However, the longma is a distinctly winged horse breed that, at some point in history, lost its wings despite retaining the ability to fly. The vestigial wings that remain on its back do move as the creature moves, giving it the impression of winged flight.

Longma are valuable, not difficult to handle, and protective of their herds and the wixes that raise them. It is no hardship to harvest hairs from them, as any longma enjoys a good brushing of its mane and tail. Their shed scales also have uses in potions, alchemy, and traditional spells.

Wandlore

Longma hair is not the most powerful wand core, certainly inferior to the heartstring of a real dragon. Longma hair is also an inflexible core, taking to certain woods beautifully and rejecting others entirely. When paired to the appropriate wood, however, it is capable of reliable and powerful magic similar to wands with dragon heartstring cores.

Longma hair makes for a more loyal wand than one with a dragon heartstring core, and they typically do well when passed down to descendants or other blood relatives.

Image Sources: left, right References: 1

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Wand Cores: Huli Jing Whisker

The huli jing (狐狸精, húli jīng), also called the jiuweihu (九尾狐, jiǔwěihú), is the Chinese spirit fox, found in forests and mountain ranges across the country. Their magic and power differs greatly depending on the age of the fox, but all are capable of transformation into multiple forms, though many favor taking the shape of a human. Like many spirit foxes, they are intelligent, especially the oldest huli jing, and known to bewitch people, but have also been worshipped throughout the centuries.

The huli jing that provide whiskers that make the most efficient cores are those over five hundred years, preferably over six hundred, although those are difficult to obtain. The largest population of huli jing live on Mount Tianwu in the Taihang Mountains, and are more or less controlled by a single fox, Luo Ziyun. It is from this population of huli jing that many wandmakers source from, given the agreements made between the Tianwu foxes and the wixen community.

Wandlore


Huli jing whiskers, like many other fox spirits, make for whimsical and unstable wands that perform the best for those with huli jing blood. Their proficiency at transfigurative magic is unmatched, however, and they are good for rapid casting.

Huli jing whiskers do have a curious tendency to specialize in certain spells aside from transfiguration ones, though the type of spell each wand is proficient at is not consistent, and may reflect the propensities of either the donor, the pairing of the core and the wood, or the wielder.

Image Sources: left, right References: 1

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Wand Cores: Pixiu Feather

The pixiu (貔貅, píxiū) is a protector and consumer of wealth. The female and male of this species possess very different magic and physical features, with the female having two horns and efficient at protective magic and the male having one horn and a hoarder of wealth and good fortune. Both the female and male pixiu are protectors by nature, and have been known to fight to the death over the things or people they are set to guard. Although they have wings and can glide with them, the pixiu is not capable of true flight. Feathers are used as wand cores for convenience, and because they are far easier to collect than the pixiu’s short, tough guard hairs.

Pixiu prefer to live in mated pairs, and are extremely loyal guardians to the wixes that raise them. They are quite expensive to keep, however, as their preferred foods are gold, silver, and any type of jewels.

Wandlore


Pixiu feathers favor the impatient and excel at rapid casting, although they do have an average learning speed compared with other wand cores. They pair well with many woods, but produce the best wands when paired with the denser, more stable woods. Experiments with woods that have semi-metallic properties have also shown the pixiu feather to be ideal for these unusual wand materials.

Image Sources: left, right References: 1

[chinesewizarding-xianxia]

Wand Cores: Qilin Hair

The qilin (麒麟, qílín) is one of the most famous species of one-horned yaoguai. Although it bears a body of scales, it is not related to the dragon. Certain subspecies of qilin have an inclination for fire, and several can breathe a magical fire that does not burn what the qilin does not wish to burn. The qilin is a righteous creature, able to easily distinguish between the truth and lies and right and wrong – at least as determined by its own nature.

Qilin are protected by the government and reside in the deep forests of reserves and remote regions. They freely leave their hairs to those who are worthy and never are they violent, unless they are faced with violence or aggression first.

Wandlore


Qilin hair wands are selective in their owners, never settling for less than a perfect match. They can be difficult to pair with many woods for the same reason. As a core, qilin hair is second only to the dragon heartstring and fenghuang feather in power, in some cases surpassing the fenghuang feather depending on the wood paired with it.

Qilin hair wands are righteous – fond of a fair fight and abhorring certain dark rituals. It is not impossible to use these wands for the dark arts; it only depends on the task and how the qilin would judge it.

Image Sources: left, right References: 1

[chinesewizarding-xianxia]

Wand Woods: Peach

Peach | Prunus persica | 桃 | Táo

Wands made from peach trees have been used by Chinese wixes for centuries before the Western wand was introduced. These ancient wands, in most cases lacking a core, were primarily used to ward off malignant magic and cast protective spells and formations. In fact, certain species of yaoguai abhor the peach tree so much that an entire forest can serve as a potent natural barrier without wasting energy on casting long-range spells or requiring rare materials and strong magic to maintain.

There are many cultivars of peach trees found throughout China, almost all of which can be used in wandmaking. The notable exceptions are the trees that produce the peaches of immortality, which have incredible healing properties. The wood from these trees are not suitable for making wands; the quantity of magic contained within the wood clashes with the magic of the core and the wielder.

Wandlore

Peach wands have been highly prized since ancient times for their natural beauty, vitality, and protective properties against malignant forces. They excel at casting protective charms and healing spells, but are rather well-rounded wands overall. In the hands of a skilled caster, peach wands are capable of powerful spells used by exorcists throughout the ages. They are favored by those in the business of hunting, managing, and exorcising yaoguai.

The peach wand prefers an owner with a propensity for seeking danger – the very wixes most in need of the wood’s staying power and defensive properties. It pairs well with baize hair and pengniao feathers – the former producing a steady wand suitable for the hands of a healer, the latter for an ambitious yet patient wix. On the other hand, dragon heartstrings may overpower and clash with these wands, although the right match can make for a deadly pair.

The wood of the peach tree is warm, tinted light pink, and easy to carve despite its density and hardness. Once the proper steps are taken to dry the wood out, it remains stable throughout the crafting process and particularly resistant to cracking and splintering.

Recommended Cores: Baize hair, pengniao feathers Cores to Avoid: Dragon heartstrings, huli jing whiskers

Image Sources: top, center, bottom References: 1, 2

[chinesewizarding-xianxia]

Updated 10/27/19

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Wand Woods: Ginkgo

Ginkgo | Ginkgo biloba | 银杏 | Yínxìng

The ginkgo is one of the longest-lived trees in the world, regarded as a living fossil for how it has remained relatively unchanged since prehistoric times. This hardy tree is resistant to pollution, insects, damage from wind and snow, and thrives in unfavorable environments such as cliff edges and rocky slopes. Six of these trees survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and continue to grow to this day.

The older the ginkgo, the more potent its capacity to harness magic. It is said that the ginkgo in the Cave of the Heavenly Teacher, near the hermit Zhang Daoling’s residence, is the oldest tree in China and thus is protected from harvest. Similar restrictions have been enacted by local wixen government to protect the existing population of ginkgo trees, which are popular wand woods and utilized in a number of older, ritualistic spells as well as in traditional medicine.

Wandlore

Ancient ginkgo trees make for stately and powerful wands that produce uniquely elegant spells, although it is a misconception that a tree of considerable age is necessary for a wand to perform well. Other factors, such as the skill of the wandmaker and inclinations of the wielder, determine the true value of any wand. Still, many are attracted to these wands for their inherent aptitude in talismans and protective spells.

A ginkgo wand, like the tree itself, prefers tenacity and vitality in its wielder. It is especially fond of those who can thrive even under the most adverse conditions. The owners of ginkgo wands are said to be blessed with a long life – though, it is important to note – not necessarily a fortuitous one. 

Perhaps due to the tree’s longevity, these wands are selective about the wix they choose, fully willing to wait for a suitable owner to come along. This trait is even more prominent in ginkgo wands paired with qilin hairs or fenghuang feathers. In fact, several of the first ginkgo wands to be successfully crafted in the late 1800s have yet to find a match.

The wood of the ginkgo tree is soft and light ivory in color, producing quite limber wands. The wood is easy to work, but beginners should take care when carving these wands, as it is not a terribly strong wood and prone to splintering if excess force is applied.

Recommended Cores: Baize hair, dragon heartstings, fenghuang feathers, qilin hair Cores to Avoid: Huli jing whiskers

Image Sources: top, center, bottom References: 1, 2, 3

[chinesewizarding-xianxia]

Updated 10/27/19

[chinesewizarding-xianxia]

Follow up question. Sorry for this. How has the legacy of legendary warriors and emperors affect the Chinese wizarding community today, and is Sun Ray's Art of War taught to the students? Once again, sorry for this.

Hey, no problem! I love the questions.

Do you mean Sun Tzu’s Art of War? I imagine it is taught to students, those at Chongyun and Qixing Zhou more than the other two schools. There are also more important texts they teach, dealing with Chinese philosophy, which they believe you need to know to be a well-rounded individual (though they’ve removed the ‘learn to horseback ride and play music requirement’ lol). These tend to be Daoist texts.

Hm, I made up this world not taking real history into account but I think it would differ depending on the figure in question and which sect you’re talking to. The conflicts between China’s ethnic groups and the different states/countries that currently add up to the country we know today are things I’m not well versed in, but the sects/magical community would have to reflect this divide and possibly the tension would be higher among them than it is even today - plus they would have had their own wars and conflicts among sects that didn’t even affect the muggles that much but would underlie their interactions.

(but I also like the idea of putting different spins on these legendary warriors and other figures - much like the 2017 film Legend of the Demon Cat, which puts its own spin on Yang Guifei)

[chinesewizarding-xianxia]

What was the status of the Chinese wizarding community during the Three Kingdoms period? You know, the time when brilliant strategists like Cao Cao, tyrants like Dong Zhuo and infamous generals like Lu Bu were running the show. Especially because at that time the statue of secrecy was definitely not in existence.

It can really be anything you want it to be, but since this blog is run from a xianxia-point of view, I’ll say that in my AU the magical community supposedly kept to themselves. Reason being that to them, magic was tied into the pursuit of immortality, and the sects that formed from magic practitioners couldn’t be bothered with “mortal affairs” (affairs of the state). Now, I say “supposedly” because the sects most definitely did support different countries/factions.

I imagine at such a turbulent time, the magical community was also having their own conflicts, and you could use this to limit how much involvement they had with muggle affairs. I can definitely say that muggles knew of their existence. Some commoners might not have believed in all the magical feats they were capable of, but people knew they were around and there was lots of gossip that eventually turned into the legends and folktales of today).

I’d be really interested in a story set in this time period, but my own knowledge of the Three Kingdoms period is far too poor to pull it off.

[chinesewizarding-xianxia]

Untrackable Scent Potion [无臭迹仙丹]

The untrackable scent potion (无臭迹仙丹, Wú chòjī xiāndān) renders the consumer scentless to all except the most discerning of creatures. It was developed by the Jishan Sect to facilitate gathering of potions materials from under the nose of dangerous beasts, particularly territorial ones not fooled by invisibility charms.

Custom-made potions are often tailored to the specific location at which the consumer seeks to use to the potion. The efficacy of custom potions is greatly increased and highly recommended if venturing into the territory of a particularly volatile magical creature.

Color: Silver-white, very little vapor Temp: Cold Ingredients:

Snow ear tea infusion {increases moisture retention, gives potion a gelatinous texture}

Water from desired location {achieve equilibrium with environment}

1 maifan stone {absorbs impurities, reduces bacteria growth}

20 g powdered aster {inhibits bacteria growth}

2 wings of the Evening Mist Butterfly {numbs or causes lethargy}

4 ml astragalus extract {promoter of function of other components}

15 g powdered bupleurum roots {regulates hormone levels}

10-25 g ground moon-viewing herb {controls length of time the herbal aspects are active}

Brewing Instructions

Brew a snow ear tea infusion using water from the desired location. Add the maifan stone as soon as the water boils.

Added crushed Evening Mist Butterfly wings.

Stir until liquid turns milky white.

Add powdered aster and bupleurum roots.

Add 2 ml of astragalus extract.

Stir gently until thin streams of vapor rise from the liquid.

Add 10 g to 25 g of ground moon-viewing herb. Vary amount depending on desired duration.

Let simmer for 30 minutes on low heat.

Name Meaning

无臭迹 means ‘scentless’, 臭迹 refers to a person or animal’s scent that is used to track them; 仙丹 is an elixir or magic potion.

Image Source: Here