MAP: Thousand River Country - For Solitary Narcissus by GoldenAngelFeather
SHOP for Maps, 3D-Visualisations, World Ideas, and Co. (for free)
About the Fanfic Behind the Map
Being a lover of Chinese period dramas, and especially those with strong female characters, Solitary Narcissus by GoldenAngelFeather has become one of my favourite ongoning fanfics. It's like watching a period drama that's adjusted to your own preferences on directing and cinematography! (Because you imagine it on your own, right?)
Well, the story follows a physically and mentally strong modern-day girl, Lee Jia, that transmigrates into the relatively feeble body of a nobleman’s daughter, Tang Jia. Which naturally leads to a lot of action-packed, funny, cute, passionate (enter Jin of BTS who apparently is her fiancée), and definitively unconventional scenes. I really can only recommend it!
Exploring the Map
The map is best explored on a big screen because you can see more details there. You can also zoom in on the webpage itself (works on small screens too, but big ones are better) to get an even closer up view of the map. For example by using the browser zoom tool or, in Chrome on Windows, by pressing ctrl and then scrolling.
Exploring a map is always interesting because you can find new details that you might not notice on first glance. Here some "stories" hidden within the map:
- There are two "dragons" hidden within the map that are sort of entangled to form a yin and yang sign.
HINT: The dragons' eyes would be the dots of the yin and yang sign. - Can you find the town that is named after the shape of the lake it is situated next to?
HINT: The meanings of the names are explained in the Credits section below. - And for those with a bit of geographical/geological knowledge (for others as well of course): There is a mountain range that spans all the way from the left to the right side of the map, even though not all of it is shown and labelled as mountains. Can you find all the map elements that belong to it?
HINT: A part of it is submerged below the sea. - And for my Chinese speaking readers: Can you find the provinces that are named after their location or special characteristics of their location?
HINT (for the non-Chinese speaking): Dong, nan, xi, and bei are the four cardinal directions in Chinese. Shanghai is a city "above the sea". And sha qi is a literary noun for desert (sand desert).
Credits
In general, GoldenAngelFeather first gave me a general outline on what is where and I then drafted the coastline, mountain locations, etc. but also the maps design and style from it. She also gave me valuable feedback throughout the entire creation process, e.g. what needed to be added, remove, or adjusted. Or on the map's general appearance. And, she helped a great deal with coming up with names for all the places! :)
Naming
| Name | Credit | Inspiration / Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Ao Cave | GoldenAngelFeather | Chinese mythology: huge legendary turtle --> a cave that is home to sea turtles |
| Apricot Hills | GoldenAngelFeather, catheyes | hills where lots of apricots grow |
| Arani | GoldenAngelFeather | Maori language: marigold --> a town in a region, where marigold grows |
| Arensica | GoldenAngelFeather | from Arenisca (Galician: sandstone) --> a town famous for its sandstone quarries |
| Aros | GoldenAngelFeather | means red --> a town famous for the red gemstones mined around it |
| Asut Mountains | GoldenAngelFeather | Asut means blue --> blue mountains (due to the special metals in the rocks) |
| Bai Shan Wang Guo - Hundred Mountains Kingdom | GoldenAngelFeather | because it's a country with lots of mountains |
| Bao Liang Guo - Shining Treasures Country | GoldenAngelFeather | because it’s a country that produces beautiful jewellery out of gems and in the past used to mine them too |
| Beryl | GoldenAngelFeather | a shade of blue --> lake |
| Bing Han | GoldenAngelFeather | zh: ice cold --> a city that often experiences ice cold winds due to it’s location at a lake in the open plains in the north |
| Blue Delta | GoldenAngelFeather | because the delta's water color is of a striking blue |
| Bwelmu | catheyes | |
| Byan | catheyes | |
| Chang Ying Guo - Long Shadows Country | catheyes | because the sun throws long shadows in the north |
| Chu Wei | GoldenAngelFeather | sounds like chui (zh: to blow) --> situated at a location where strong winds blow around the cliff (from the mountains to the sea) |
| City of Trade | catheyes | situated at the delta of two rivers --> a city famous for its trade |
| Cui Lan | GoldenAngelFeather | zh: green-blue --> name of a river coming from the mountains, that might thus have this color |
| Da Li Mountains | GoldenAngelFeather | from Dali (Georgian mythology: goddess of mountain animals) Also, zh: da = big --> mountain range that is home to many mountain animals --> bigger brother of the Li Mountains |
| Dragon Gulf | GoldenAngelFeather | named after the ocean dragon (ying long) --> forms two entangled dragons (yin-yang sign) with the Dragon Tail Mountains, if looked at from the sky |
| Dragon Tail Mountains | GoldenAngelFeather | constitutes the twin/opposite dragon of the ocean dragon --> forms two entangled dragons (yin-yang sign) with the Dragon Gulf, if looked at from the sky |
| Duo Er | GoldenAngelFeather, catheyes | sounds like duo'r (zh: bud) --> a name fit for the capital of the Flower Country; a city filled with flowers |
| Eye of the Twin Dragon | GoldenAngelFeather | eye of the Dragon Tail Mountains, which is the opposite twin of Ying Long |
| Eye of Ying Long | catheyes | zh: ying long = ocean/silver/dark dragon --> eye of the ocean dragon, which is the Dragon Gulf |
| Giabt Oasis | GoldenAngelFeather | |
| Ha Reya | GoldenAngelFeather | from harea (Basque language: sand) --> a city near a river that might carry lots of sediments |
| High Plains | catheyes | plains above a cliff |
| Huan City | GoldenAngelFeather | from huan zing (zh: mirage, illusion) --> a city in the desert, where mirages can happen frequently |
| Huo Ran Guo - Blazing Fire Country | GoldenAngelFeather, catheyes | because it's a country that consists of a chain of volcanic islands |
| Jing City | GoldenAngelFeather | zh: jing = capital --> translates to Capital City |
| Kavak | GoldenAngelFeather | means blue --> river |
| Kisari | GoldenAngelFeather | means blue --> river |
| Ko'Omi | GoldenAngelFeather, catheyes | ko and omi both mean water or are water-related |
| Li Mountains | catheyes | smaller brother of the Da Li Mountains (because no “da” in the name) |
| Medicine City | GoldenAngelFeather, catheyes | a city famous for its medicine |
| Mazu Ocean | GoldenAngelFeather | Chinese mythology: goddess of the sea and protector of the seafarers |
| Mi Do | GoldenAngelFeather | from midori (ja: green) additionally, it sounds like mid-eo (kr: believe) --> a capital in a desert needs something green and it needs faith |
| Mura | GoldenAngelFeather | means blaze in Maori language --> fitting name for a capital of a country of volcanoes |
| Nin | catheyes | from Ninsar (Sumerian goddess of plants) --> a lake surrounded by abundant vegetation |
| Ninsar | GoldenAngelFeather | Sumerian goddess of plants --> a town in the mountains with abundant vegetation |
| Northern Hills | catheyes | hilly landscape in the north |
| Nyla | GoldenAngelFeather | from nila (Sanskrit: dark blue) --> a riverside town |
| Odao | catheyes | … + dao (zh: island) --> name for an island and it’s main town at the same time |
| Orchid Town | GoldenAngelFeather | a town in a region famous for its orchids |
| Qian He Guo - Thousand River Country | catheyes | because it's a country with lots of rivers |
| Qing Ze | GoldenAngelFeather | |
| Ri Xiu | GoldenAngelFeather | Chinese mythology: god of peach blossoms --> a town in a region where peach trees grow |
| Ruwa | GoldenAngelFeather | means water or is related to water --> lake |
| Selyth | GoldenAngelFeather, catheyes | from selti (means blue) --> a town high up in the mountains where the sky is often blue |
| She Yin | GoldenAngelFeather, catheyes | from sheng ying (zh: sound) --> wind produces all kinds of sounds; also, beautiful sounds are often associated with the heavens |
| Shi Yi Sha Guo - Billion Sands Country | GoldenAngelFeather | because it's a country that mainly consists of desert |
| Shilu | catheyes | |
| Styn | GoldenAngelFeather | from steen (nl: stone) --> fitting name for a capital of a country famous for its mining industry |
| Ta Pio | GoldenAngelFeather | from Tapio (Finnish god and ruler of forests) --> a town in the forests |
| Vast Desert | catheyes | a big desert |
| Western Forests | catheyes | extensive deciduous forests in the west of the Thousand River Country |
| Wu Tian Wang Guo - Only Heaven Kingdom | GoldenAngelFeather | it's a country with strong winds |
| Xi Sun | GoldenAngelFeather | from Sisun (Chinese mythology: god of paperwhite) --> a town in a region where paperwhite grows |
| Xian Hua Guo - Fresh Flower Country | GoldenAngelFeather | because it's a country famous for its flowers |
| Xing Sha Shi Guo - Myriad Stars Country | GoldenAngelFeather, catheyes | lit.: "stones as innumerous as the stars" Country --> a country rich in gemstones and valuable metals |
| Yam | GoldenAngelFeather | ancient Canaanite religion: god of the sea --> it’s the biggest lake in Thousand River Country and close to the sea |
| Yios | catheyes | inspired by Ios (Greek island) but with sort of a Pinyin spelling |
| Yiria | GoldenAngelFeather | |
| Yu Di | GoldenAngelFeather | zh: raindrop --> a town near a lake that looks like a raindrop. Also, it’s close to the mountains, thus it might rain a lot there |
| Zen Mei Mountains | GoldenAngelFeather, catheyes | from Zeme (Baltic mythology: goddess of the earth) --> mountains are made of earth after all |
Sources
On the artistic level I used Photoshop brushes created by TyrannoNinja on DeviantArt (brushes for palm trees and cacti) and by DaneStabels (assumed) on Brushes8 (brushes for firs and grass). However, most of the Photoshop brushes I created myself. Inspiration for the pagoda icons were the Sketchy Cartography Brushes by StarRaven on DeviantArt.
The background image of parchment paper is from maddagone on DeviantArt.
Thanks
Really, GoldenAngelFeather, a huge thank you to you for letting me do this map for you resp. your awesome story!!! For working with me on this and not losing your patience even until the very end, ahaha... I really had a lot of fun working with you! So truly, a big THANK YOU!! <3 <3 XDD
Comments