The morning sun came amid rain and cold. Chilled swords and dagger-axes numbed the palms holding them. The grass of the battlefield was wet, waiting for the chariots to roll towards a destiny in the making, for the warriors and the early Chinese civilization.
The stage was set for the Battle of Muye, one of the most extolled combats in ancient Chinese history. It was fought between Shang, the second Chinese dynasty, and Zhou, a throne challenger at the time which would go on to rule China until 256 BC.
The public interest in the historic battle was rekindled following the success of the Chinese fantasy franchise, Creation of the Gods, an adoption of a 16th-century novel about the Shang and Zhou conflict. The second installment was released on Wednesday, the first day of the Chinese New Year. It builds up to Muye's showdown where demi-gods of opposing camps are poised to fight, for glory or in defiance of a higher providence – a hybrid between Homer's Iliad and X-Men.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
