Design process（make model）

PROCESS

Regarding the specific design of the divine tree, I was contemplating in my mind how to transform these words into a three-dimensional model.

First, I clarified the overall shape and structure of the divine tree, which is a sprawling thousand-year-old tree. Therefore, it doesn't have a very obvious upward growth trend from the roots, but rather the branches are intricately intertwined and spiral upwards, with branches of different thicknesses crossing each other. Moreover, I believe that even if the divine tree is so large that its entire appearance cannot be seen, it must have a main trunk. So, I plan to make two parts, the main trunk and the branches, and then place them in a crisscross manner.

In the book, the protagonist group guessed about the divine tree like this: such a large bronze tree, they should regard it as a divine tree symbolizing the mythical tree of Fusang. This divine tree might have originated from the leader of some ethnic minorities in the Western Zhou Dynasty.

Seeing the prototype mentioned in the book, I then searched for "Fushan Ruoma":

Fushan Ruoma belongs to one of the four ancient divine trees recorded in the ancient Chinese book "Shan Hai Jing". These four divine trees are all extremely huge and reach up to the sky. They also have many mysterious functions.

1. Fusang. It grows in the east, where the sun rises. It is two trees growing from the same root, leaning on and supporting each other as they grow. It is said that it is several thousand feet tall, and the circumference of its trunk is also several thousand feet. Its leaves are red. Besides being large, the Fushan tree is also the abode of the sun. The sun rises on the Fusang tree every day.

http://p6.itc.cn/images01/20201230/14990e1f13e346feb0095ea26cf068b1.jpeg

2. Ruomu. Corresponding to Fujin, Yuzhu is located in the far west. It is to the west of Kunlun Mountain. It is about the same size as Fujin tree, with green leaves and red flowers. According to legend, the Sun Goddess Xihe drives the sun in her chariot from the place of Fujin in the east to the regions of Menggu and Yu Yuan. At this time, the world is already in the late afternoon.

At this moment, the sun will rest on Ruomu, so Yuzhu will emit a red light, covering the sky. This is actually a kind of fire cloud. Fujin is the place where the sun rises，while Ruomu is the place where the sun descends and rests.

http://p6.itc.cn/images01/20201230/880037847ece48bc985278aeb0faf11a.jpeg

3.Xunmu. In mythological tales, there is a colossal sacred tree growing in the north. The height of this tree is much greater than that of the Ruomu Tree and the Fujin Tree, reaching a scale of thousands of miles. Its branches are lush and spread out in all directions, with a diameter of thousands of miles.

In addition to its towering height, the roots of the tree of life are also extremely developed, extending even to all four sides to the extreme. It can be said that the entire continent is within the range of the roots of the tree of life，both in height and width, reaching up to the sky and down to the underworld.

http://p4.itc.cn/images01/20201230/6d5993d9d21d4044b5bb406ea51ab340.jpeg

4. Jianmu. In the vast expanse of the world, it is said to be the center of the earth, with no shadow during midday sunlight. There is a giant tree growing there, called the Jianmu, which is a hundred fathoms tall. This is an exaggerated figure to describe its height. The Jianmu is its height, and it is not straight; it has nine bends.

The reason why it is so tall is that it is a ladder to the sky. According to the legend, figures like Fu Xi and Huangdi passed through the Jianmu to reach the Heavenly Palace and communicate with the mysterious deities. Therefore, they all had incredible abilities.

Later, in order to cut off the communication between humans and gods or to prevent too much interference from the gods in human affairs, Huangdi cut down the Jianmu. It is called "Breaking the Connection to Heaven and Terrestrial Communication" and is a turning point marking the end of the mythological era.

http://p5.itc.cn/images01/20201230/a67ac3ef8fc14208ba75bccb0bd5666a.jpeg

(The above photos are all self provided by popular science websites, and the links are placed below each image. And the link to this article is: 上古神话中的四大神树 - 搜狐网

https://m.sohu.com/a/441384670_120191232?_trans_=010004_pcwzy)

Of course, in order to construct a more realistic and vibrant bronze divine tree model, we cannot just rely on the descriptions in mythology, so I have also conducted extensive observation and research on trees in reality. Firstly, I conducted research on various ancient trees located in the Qinling Mountains region in reality：

1. Millennium Jade Orchid King:

located in Heihe National Forest Park, Shaanxi Province, China, with a tree height of 27 meters, a breast height diameter of 1.7 meters, and a girth diameter of 5.3 meters. The trunk is tall and straight, with lush branches and leaves, and a majestic atmosphere. The crown of the tree stretches and grows like a giant umbrella, and the shade of the tree can cover nearly two acres of land under it.

2. Yeshan Dagu Cypress:

Located in Qixia Temple, Bai'an Village, Yeshan River Township, Luonan County, Shaanxi Province, China, the tree stands 23.1 meters tall, has a diameter at breast height of 7.73 meters, a crown of 15 meters, and a root circumference of over 8 meters. At the fork of the two branches, the eastern branch resembles a dragon's head, and the western branch resembles a dragon's tail. The white patches of cypress bark on the branches are arranged in a staggered manner, resembling dragon scales. The towering and robust ancient cypress echoes the description of the Qinling Divine Tree "piercing straight into the sky" in the novel. Its rough and textured bark reminds me of the ancient bronze Divine Tree, which may possess a sense of sedimentation over time as a bronze material.

3. Ancient Ginkgo Tree:

Located in Yuhuangmiao Town, Liuba County, southern foot of Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi Province, the tree is 4000 years old, 26 meters high, 4.4 meters diameter at breast height, and covers an area of 50 square meters for shade. The trunk is already "hollow", with only lateral roots and fibrous roots left at the roots, relying on the outer bark to support life, and many small branches growing around the root epidermis. The ginkgo tree has a tall and straight trunk, with branches that stretch out and have a unique branching structure, which helps me think about the distribution pattern of the branches of the Bronze God Tree.

I think I can be more exaggerated when modeling based on following objective laws.

Next are the surface details of the bronze tree, which features complex patterns and mysterious symbols that may have been used by ancient people to record important information or express certain beliefs.

The book describes that the surface of the Qinling Divine Tree is engraved with patterns, mainly including the following:

1. Cloud and thunder patterns, with thunder patterns at the bottom and cloud patterns at the top, represent the relative relationship between heaven and earth, symbolizing the divinity of bronze ware. This kind of decoration pattern is quite common in ancient bronze ware and is a typical decorative pattern, often used to complement the theme decoration.

2. Double faced Snake Pattern: The Bronze Divine Tree is considered a sacred tree for the Ku Kingdom, with the Double faced Snake as its totem. Therefore, abstract patterns similar to the Double faced Snake may be engraved on the Bronze Divine Tree, which are related to the beliefs and sacrificial culture of the Ku Kingdom.

3. The texture on the trees is in the shape of a double bodied snake, possibly from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. It is black with a grayish tint and may be a type of tin bronze, lead tin bronze, or lead bronze. There are also some complex and mysterious symbols on the surface, which may have been used by ancient people to record important information or express certain beliefs. The bloodstains on the patterns carved by the divine tree may be related to the sacrificial rituals of the Ku people, their pursuit of immortality, or their way of communicating with the gods.

So regarding the carving of textures, I found these special meanings:

1. The shape of the bronze divine tree is similar to the divine trees such as Fusang and Ruomu recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. The "⊙" pattern on the base of the divine tree represents the sun, and the nine or ten divine birds on the tree correspond to the saying in the "Ten Day Myth" that the sun is carried by the Golden Crow, reflecting the ancient Shu people's understanding of the sun's movement and the universe of heaven and earth.

2. The dragon pattern on the bronze divine tree may have originated from the Ying Long recorded in the Shan Hai Jing, which winds along one side of the tree. Some scholars believe that this symbolizes the dragon as a divine object that connects heaven and earth, and also reflects the ancient Shu people's worship and reverence for dragons.

3. The divine tree is regarded as a ladder for the ancient Shu people to communicate between humans and gods, and to ascend and descend to heaven and earth. The patterns and shapes on the tree are important symbols of the religious rituals and beliefs of the ancient Shu people. The cloud and air patterns and other decorations create a mysterious atmosphere, representing the fairyland where the gods reside, expressing the ancient Shu people's reverence for the gods and their desire for divine protection.

4. The elements such as the human head and bird body on the divine tree may be related to the ancestor worship of the ancient Shu people, symbolizing that the souls of ancestors can ascend to the heavens through the divine tree and these mysterious images, communicate with the gods, and also bless future generations.

5. Sun Worship: The sun pattern "⊙" on the bronze divine tree, as well as elements related to the sun such as divine birds and flame patterned disks, directly reflect the ancient Shu people's worship of the sun. The light and heat of the sun are crucial for agricultural production and human survival. Therefore, the ancient Shu people expressed their reverence and gratitude for the sun by carving sun patterns on the divine tree.

Next, I will start building the model. I think the divine tree is the most crucial object in this area, so I want to model it myself. However, because the shape of the tree is quite curved and convoluted, I cannot use SU. So this week, I started self-learning Blender, but I am not yet proficient in it.