The real artifacts behind the worlds you already love
Each field guide takes one global fandom — a game, film, or drama — and maps its recurring visuals to the real Chinese museum objects behind them. No vague inspiration lists: every claim points to a specific artifact you can visit or study.
4
Guides
28
Lineages
91
Objects
Start here
All field guides
2024 · 12 minute read · 23 objects
Black Myth: Wukong
The AAA game as museum gateway
Yungang Buddhas, Sanxingdui masks, Shang ritual bronzes, Tang sancai, and Cleveland landscape scrolls — the real objects behind Game Science's breakout hit.
2020 · 14 minute read · 23 objects
Genshin Impact — Liyue
How HoYoverse built a playable museum of Chinese forms
Karst mountains, Adepti, porcelain teacups, ritual cauldrons, jade ornaments, and Song city life — the real Tang-Song objects behind Liyue's visual language.
2025 · 16 minute read · 23 objects
Ne Zha 2
Lotus rebirth, dragon kings, jade pearls, and Sanxingdui bodies
The Demonic Pearl, the Spirit Pearl, the Four Dragon Kings, the Sky-Ribbon, the Universe Ring, and the cosmic child hero — decoded through real museum pieces.
2011 · 15 minute read · 22 objects
Empresses in the Palace
Qing court drama through robes, jade, tea, and ritual
Dragon robes, jade hairpins, cobalt tea cups, Buddhist altars, ancestor bronzes, and painted screens — the museum record behind 甄嬛传.
Pop culture is the gateway. Museums are the destination.
Millions of people meet Chinese heritage first through games, animation, and dramas. These guides make that curiosity useful: they translate a familiar visual into a real object, a real dynasty, and a real museum collection.