| "Welcome to Hujiang. One of the few remaining places in the world where Followers of the Code gather freely." |
| — Kirima to the Flying Opera Company[1] |
Hujiang was a hidden town located in the Taihua Mountains in the northern[2] Earth Kingdom. It was an outlaw settlement entirely populated by daofei.[1] The town was abandoned following a shirshu attack in 296 BG.
History[]
After the Yellow Necks were defeated in 304 BG, Xu Ping An's surviving followers reorganized in the Earth Kingdom's underground. Led by Mok and Wai, they adopted the moniker Autumn Bloom Society and built a new criminal network from Hujiang, one of the few remaining daofei towns in the world.[3]
In 296 BG, the Autumn Bloom Society called their underground network to Hujiang to launch an attack on Governor Te's Palace to rescue Xu. When the Flying Opera Company arrived at Hujiang on Pengpeng after evading arrest in Port Chameleon Bay, Mok and Wai forced them to become part of their operation.
Soon after, Hujiang was attacked by a shirshu, and the Autumn Blooms had to kill the creature amid great destruction. Discerning that the creature had been hunting the Flying Opera Company, the Autumn Blooms wanted to question the small gang, though the latter managed to escape. Realizing that their position could be compromised, the Autumn Blooms abandoned Hujiang and moved most of their forces toward Governor Te's fortress in the Eastern Provinces.[4][5]
Hujiang was later discovered by Jianzhu during his search for Avatar Kyoshi, as he had assumed she had been captured by the daofei. While investigating the desolate town, he discovered the injured "Four Shadows" Guan and manipulated him into revealing the existence of the Autumn Bloom Society.[5]
Layout and description[]
Hujiang was found in a depression within the Taihua Mountains. The town was located next to a lake and built into the slope like a rice terrace. The buildings within the town were longhouses made of mountain lumber from the forests below the town, featuring individual touches like carved shrine alcoves and Fire Nation rugs hung over their doors.[4] Some of them made a mockery of the four nations with adornments either looted or crudely imitated from their places of origin. One particular scrap-quilted banner was fastened together so that characters from multiple signs clumsily formed the syllables Hu and Jiang.[5] The town had crudely carved steps which had been oversized to cut down on the number needed; they had not been earthbent into shape as most inhabitants were nonbenders.[1]
Most travelers made their way to Hujiang via unmarked passageways through the mountains that the royal surveyors were unaware of. The majority of peddlers specialized in traveling wine and food, such as dried and smoked meat, beans, and lentils. Rice was expensive in Hujiang and produce was rare and never fresh.[1]
During the night, the streets of Hujiang were emptier, as daofei gathered inside drinkhouses that comprised a great portion of the town.[1]
Lei tai platform[]
A broad, high barn, larger than the usual drinkhouses in Hujiang, was used to host the lei tai duels. Inside, the center of the floor held a large wooden platform covered with a tightly drawn layer of canvas held down with ropes, giving the structure de appearance of a great drum. The stage was made of unbendable material, on which two fighters faced each other. A balcony in the second level, a converted hayloft, was available for important spectators, such as Mok, and their guests.[1]
Notable figures[]
Trivia[]
- The name Hujiang shares the same characters, though switched, with the concept of jianghu (江湖), which refers to an underground counterculture of martial artists.[6]
- As Hujiang was an outlaw town, it did not appear in regular maps of the Earth Kingdom.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Yee, F. C. (author), DiMartino, Michael Dante (author). (July 16, 2019). Chapter Eighteen, "The Town". The Rise of Kyoshi. Amulet Books.
- ↑ Map, The Rise of Kyoshi. Barnes and Nobles special edition.
- ↑ Yee, F. C. (author), DiMartino, Michael Dante (author). (July 16, 2019). Chapter Twenty-Six, "The Challenge". The Rise of Kyoshi. Amulet Books.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Yee, F. C. (author), DiMartino, Michael Dante (author). (July 16, 2019). Chapter Nineteen, "The Beast". The Rise of Kyoshi. Amulet Books.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Yee, F. C. (author), DiMartino, Michael Dante (author). (July 16, 2019). Chapter Twenty-Two, "Conclusions". The Rise of Kyoshi. Amulet Books.
- ↑ Jianghu – The Hidden World. Daoist Gate. Retrieved on March 10, 2021.