a study in colours

Introduction. 

While the writing itself isn't the best and most coherent, few dramas can rival the visual attention Guo Jing Ming and his team put into Fangs of Fortune, making its cinematography the most stunning and compelling.

From the landscapes to the interior designs to the most tiny detail in the character's make-up and attire, the visuals bring this drama to life and present a deeper layer of what's been told through the mere writing – or its lack of telling, in some cases.

In fact, if one pays close attention to the demons' robes and hairstyles/accessories, their true nature will be most evident (here's the link to the topic that compares the demons of Fangs of Fortune to the fantastic creatures and monsters in the “Classic of Mountains and Seas”).

In the article that follows, I will touch upon the more general meaning of colours (mainly in the Western cultures) and their specific significance in the Chinese culture*.

Note: perhaps it is merely due to pure aesthetic and visual impact (most likely so), but I'd like to believe the colour palette of each character was as thought through as everything said above.

Characters and the colour palette most used for/by them.

Zhu Yan – red, grey, black

Ying Lei – orange, brown

Bai Jiu – yellow, white, brown

Li Lun – dark teal, black

Zhuo Yi Chen – blue, dark blue, black

Pei Si Jing – black, blue, green

Wen Xiao – white, pale pink 

A short dive into the Theory of the Five Elements.

*The meaning of colours in the Chinese culture finds its roots in Taoism and the theory of the Five Elements (Fire, Metal, Water, Wood, Earth) – or Wu Xing –, where they are used to explain the constant changes in the world, life and cosmos and are associated with planets, cardinal points, seasons, senses and emotions.

Please, be noted that this would be a much greater topic to talk about, since it stems from philosophy, medicine and ancient history, but I am in no way an expert, so I will briefly introduce it in broad terms – otherwise, this would turn into an academic paper. 

Fire

This element is mostly of yang energy and is often associated with the summer season, the sun, the colour red and warmth. 

A person represented by the element of Fire will be decisive and self-assured, dynamic and enthusiastic, but also impulsive and aggressive.

Fire is born from the element of Wood and it generates the Earth, while its controlled by Water and wins over Metal.

Colours: red, deep purple and pink

Metal

This element, which is associated with the yin energy, represents the fall season, the old age and the colour white. 

Its energy is of firmness and determination and a person delineated by Metal will most likely be tenacious and resolute, stable and wise. On a negative note, Metal can also signify sadness and death (hence why the colour white represents mourning), since it's the declining phase of the Wu Xing.

Colours: grey, white, gold and silver

Water

It represents the most yin of the Five Elements and it's associated with the winter season, the moon, the colour black and the rain.

Its energy is calm and still and a person represented by this element is generally obedient and conciliatory, at times passive, but of great strength.

Water is generated by Metal, whereas Wood is born through Water. The same way, Water destroys Fire and is controlled by the Earth.

Colours: black, dark blue

Wood

It represents the most yang of the Five Elements and it's associated with the spring season, the colour green and the wind.

Warmth and generosity are often associated with this element, which also symbolizes fertility and bloom. A person represented by the element of Wood tends to be extroverted and dynamic, often looking for self-growth. 

Wood is generated by Water and, in turn, it generates Fire. In the “destructive cycle”, Wood controls the element of Earth and is controlled by Metal.  

Colours: green

Earth

Earth is the very middle of the Wu Xing cycle and its energy is a perfect balance between yin and yang, characterized by introspection and transformation. This element is associated with the end of summer, stability and the colour yellow. 

A person represented by Earth will be pragmatic, responsible and attentive.

Following the Five Elements theory, Earth is generated from Fire and creates Metal, whereas it controls Water and is governed by Wood.

Colours: brown, yellow

Now, back to the actual topic of this discussion... 

Colours in Fangs of Fortune.

Zhu Yan  – or Zhao Yuan Zhou – is often associated with two main shades, (deep) red and black, with hints of grey and white, but I'd say his main colour is red.

As seen above in the Five Elements-Colours association, red is a warm hue that represents the element of Fire and its connotations are both positive (dynamic, enthusiastic) and negative (aggressive, savage).

I believe his colour symbolism is the most obvious among the main characters (alongside Zhuo Yichen), given the malicious energy that possesses him is red and violent and he's also vessel to the ever-burning fire, which represents both rebirth and destruction.

In Western culture, the meaning of the colour red doesn't stray too far from the Chinese philosophy, as it is mostly associated with fire, power, danger and violence as well. Moreover, red is also considered the colour of love and passion.

Ying Lei only ever wears two shades, orange and brown, and his most noticeable characteristic, his hair, is blond (yellow). Therefore, his colour palette consists mainly of warm and vibrant colours.

In the Wu Xing theory, yellow and brown represent Earth, the element of stability and a caring nature, pragmatism and responsibility, but I'd like to highlight Ying Lei's main colour too: orange.

In Western interpretation of colours, orange is the symbol of vitality and optimism, caution and health.

Bai Jiu has a similar colour palette to Ying Lei's, but with a more abundance of white, beige and yellow-y tones. With him, I'll then focus more on the Western interpretation of brown and yellow.

Starting with yellow, it can both represent positive and negative traits.

Yellow is the colour of the sun and the light and it's hence strictly connected with nature and growth (a very similar interpretation to the Chinese Five Elements philosophy, after all). It represents joy and positivity.

However, this colour is often connected to more negative meanings as well, such as poison and illness.

As already stated, on the other spectrum of Bai Jiu's colour palette we find a predominance of (beige and) brown, which is also a good representation of his character, for it is used to symbolize resilience and dependability, loneliness and isolation, and it embodies both earth and wood.

Notably, brown is often balanced out with shades of blue (earth-water harmony) and if the production of this drama really gave any thought to the meanings of colours and elements, there'd be a deeper layer of interpretation to the sibling-like relationship between Bai Jiu (brown-earth) and Zhuo Yichen (blue-water).

Li Lun is perhaps the most difficult character, when it comes to colour association. Given his nature, it would be expected for him to wear shades of brown and (dark) green, but his robes can go from a black-ish brown to total black to a combination of deep blue and teal. But isn't that also a good representation of his journey?

If we focus on the Western characteristics of the colour black (often seen with negative connotations), most of them are easily identifiable with Li Lun as villain of the story and first nemesis of our protagonists. He represents darkness and the unknown, is both elegant and strong.

But, in later episodes, the viewer discovers another side of him, which is best represented by the shade of teal, a deep blue-green hue that symbolizes renovation and calm, other than a connection to nature.

Zhuo Yi Chen is, alongside Zhu Yan, the character which best incarnates the colours he often wears: blue and black.

According to the Wu Xing, Water is the element associated with the winter season, the moon and the rain and its most indicative colour is precisely black.

Moreover, Water is the one element that destroys Fire, in this case incarnated by Zhu Yan, an added symbolism of the fate of these two characters.

But lets put black aside and focus on the most notable colour in Zhuo Yi Chen's colour palette. Dark blue.

In Western culture, blue embodies water (the same way black does in China), calm and self-reflection, integrity and loyalty.

Pei Si Jing's colour palette, much like Zhuo Yi Chen's, is mainly composed of black and blue, with the addition of green hues and teal.

She starts the drama as this mysterious and elegant archer (colour black in Western ideology), so strict and dutiful that she went so far as killing her own brother, and I believe, of all the protagonists, she is the character with the most moral integrity and calm nature (colour blue), for she very rarely loses her composure and acts impulsive.

Wen Xiao's attire and hair accessories (including the Baize Token) belong to the lightest colour palette present in the drama: white and pale shades of pink.

Where all other prominent characters wear either dark or vibrant colours, Wen Xiao has the lightest appearance, which makes her figure a stark contrast to the gloomy atmosphere of Fangs of Fortune – very symbolic of her being the incarnation of the Goddess, belonging neither to the human world nor to the demonic Wilderness.

As said before, according to Chinese philosophy white is the colour representing Metal, the element of wisdom, stability and tenacity as well as of decay and ending (in contrast with Western traditions, white is, in fact, the colour of death and funerals).

While the Western interpretation sees white as the colour of purity and holiness, spirituality and light. Calm and clarity.

I believe Wen Xiao personifies and perfectly balances both Eastern and Western meanings of this colour.

However, she's also playful and youthful, romantic and caring – all characteristics of the colour pink.