China Focus: 3,000-year-old bird artifact takes flight in Chinese mobile game

A “Honor of Kings” player watches a video unveiling Hai Yue’s new skin on Aug. 27, 2024. (Photo by Yao Xinke/Xinhua)
CHENGDU, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) — A 3,000-year-old gold ornament has been reimagined as a character skin in Tencent’s popular mobile game “Honor of Kings,” quickly captivating players with its unique design.
Launched in March, the skin features Hai Yue, a female mage hero, crowned with a halo inspired by the ancient “Sun and Immortal Birds” ornament.
The treasure, with its pattern of immortal birds carrying the sun, symbolizes the ancient Chinese people’s deep reverence for light and life.
“The skin is so beautiful. I must play Hai Yue more just for the new skin,” posted a user on China’s microblogging site Weibo.
“Bringing radiant light to the human world, it feels as if a divine presence has descended,” another netizen wrote.
Originally crafted during the Shang and Zhou dynasties (1600 BC-256 BC), the Sun and Immortal Birds was discovered in 2001 at the Jinsha ruins in southwest China’s Chengdu and is now on display at the Jinsha Site Museum.
The artifact is a round, disc-shaped object, measuring just 0.02 centimeters thick and made of 94.2 percent pure gold. It features a central sun with 12 radiating rays, surrounded by four birds. The birds, depicted with their heads lifted and legs extended as if in flight, appear to propel the sun forward.
Since the characteristics of Hai Yue align with the attributes of the Sun and Immortal Birds — mysterious, elegant and powerful — Tencent and the museum decided to create the gaming skin based on this artifact.
Within just 10 days of its release, posters and short videos about this skin garnered over 100 million views online, according to Tencent Games’ TiMi Studio Group.
The new skin has also drawn many young people to visit the Jinsha Site Museum during this summer vacation, according to the museum.
A clerk at the museum’s souvenir shop said that products associated with the Sun and Immortal Birds are the most popular among tourists, adding that such products made up 60 percent of the museum’s total revenue from cultural and creative items during this summer vacation.
Beyond the game, the Sun and Immortal Birds can be spotted throughout Chengdu, gracing city squares, forest parks, hotpot restaurants, airports and subways.
In 2005, the Sun and Immortal Birds was declared the symbol of Chinese Cultural Heritage by the National Cultural Heritage Administration. That same year, an embroidered piece bearing this symbol was carried into space during the Shenzhou VI mission. It later became the official logo of Chengdu in 2011 and appeared on the emblem of the Chengdu Universiade in 2023.
Soaring through time from over 3,000 years ago, these golden birds have found enduring artistic expression on numerous occasions, including the gaming skin of Hai Yue.
This is not the first time Tencent has integrated traditional Chinese cultural elements into the game. “The Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion,” a famous prose by a renowned literatus, has been incorporated into another character’s skin. The game even has a hero modeled after the esteemed poet Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
“Honor of Kings” is among many other domestic games embracing traditional themes. “Naraka: Bladepoint,” an action game developed by 24 Entertainment, boasts ancient weapons, scenes and characters with traditional outfits. “Black Myth: Wukong,” considered the first Chinese-developed “Triple-A” title, is inspired by the ancient literary classic “Journey to the West.”
The TiMi Studio Group said it aims to help more players learn about and appreciate heritage by blending traditional Chinese cultural elements into games.
“I didn’t know much about the Jinsha ruins before. I hope there will be more innovative and engaging ways through which we can experience traditional culture while having fun,” said Huang Ziqi, a player of “Honor of Kings.” Enditem
(Reporting by Yao Xinke)

Visitors take photos of the Sun and Immortal Birds gold ornament at the Jinsha Site Museum in Chengdu, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, July 13, 2024. (Xinhua/Kang Jinqian)