Analysis of VHLW North Team Names Part Three China conclusion

[Will3 467]

  After deciding to extend my time in China with last week being theme week and totally not getting lost in the Gobi Desert, I am back to conclude part three of my series analyzing team names for a theoretical VHL league in Asia. Last time, we looked at two potential franchises with names rooted in mythology. Today, we will continue to look at mythology while aslo looking elsewhere to discover names for two more hockey clubs that tie into the land of China. With that being said, let us begin.

 

  Wuhan is the the capital of the Hebei province and the largest city. It lies in the eastern Jianghan Plain, on the confluence of the Yangtze and the Han. It's important as a hub of domestic travel have led foreigners like myself to sometimes call Wuhan, "the Chicago of China". It is also an important center of higher education and scientific research. Sadly, the whole pandemic madness which currently still has a significant impact on the world started here as well. I would call an upstart franchise placed here the Wuhan Warriors. A name is only a part of a brand and this team name comes with a choice of two different brands one historical and the other mythological. Both brands are very cool and I would like to know which one is better.

 

 The historical brand leads us to one of the most significant battles in Chinese history that is believed to have happened near Wuhan,  The Battle of Red Cliffs. It was a decisive naval battle on the Yangtze River in the dying days of the Han Empire. In this battle, a coalition of 50,000 men under Sun Quan and Liu Bei would destroy an invasion force estimated to be around 230,000 men led by Cao Cao. The failed invasion lead to the creation of the states of Shu Han and Eastern Wu and the start of the the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history twelve years later. The battle has been featured in viedo games like Dynasty Warriors and Total War:Three Kingdoms. Red Cliff, a movie about the legacy of this battle was directed by John Woo and released to financial success in China in 2008.

 

 The mythology brand leads us to the paws of the most famous Chinese mythology figure, Sun Wukong. The Monkey King as he is known, is known as one of the main characters of the novle Journey to the West. He has a diverse skill set with each skill more impressed that the next. Super human speed, strength, and agility, the ability to morph into a variety of things, make copies of himself and cloud surfing. He achieved immortality seven different ways making him perfectly indestructible. He has golden armor and a telescoping staff. And he is the best martial artist capable of defeating virtually any foe. Some might know him best by his Japanese name, Son Goku. He has made numerous other appearances throughout popular culture. 

 

   Located in Southern China, Hong Kong is a former British colony that was transfered over to China in 1997. As a  special administration region, Hong Kong maintains separate governing and economic systems from that of mainland China. It rose from sparsely populated farming and fishing villages to become a very diverse, densely populated, and highly developed city.  Going back to a very good well for me, allow me to introduce the Hong Kong Vermillions. This is reference to the Vermillion Bird, a red, perpetually flaiming pheasant like bird with five color plumage. It is often mistaken for a phoenix due to similarities in appearance. I will explain the difference later. The Vermillion Bird is one of the Four Symbols of Chinese constellations. It is associated with the south and the summer season. Much like the other symbols, the Vermillion Bird has made multiple appearances in popular culture, sometimes under its Japanese name, Suzaku.

 

  I believe that our time is up for today. China has such a wealth of interesting mythology and large cities to hold some great teams. So much so that there is one more city in China I would like to talk about. However, given that I feel like I have overstayed my welcome here, I will talk about that in a supplemental, one paragraph article written while traveling. Look for it. Speaking of traveling, I will be going on my journey to the west, to India in particular. I should be there next week to talk about hockey teams in India and conclude this part of our travels. I will see you then. I have to go clime a mountain.