Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Fans naturally rushed in to watch it first. Surprisingly, the entire album was free online, while the overseas version, which was released at the same time on overseas platforms, charged for each song, and the music video cost extra.
As a fan of the group, their first feeling was awesome!
Is this what it feels like to be a cut above overseas fans?
The passersby didn’t have that much competitive spirit; they just wanted to watch the whole music video as soon as possible and then go to sleep!
As the star gate opened, the first sound was the rapid playing of the guzheng, which introduced the main melody. Three seconds later, the bass and snare drums quickly followed, falling like dense raindrops.
This opening set the tone and foundation for the song; it was not a slow song, and it might even include rap.
Nan Xiangwan, dressed in a white suit, transformed into a sophisticated urban woman and led the group into the star gate.
From her perspective, the magnificent Milky Way shifted and changed, with nebulae gathering and then dispersing.
Then, it transformed into seven people.
Like fairies, they wore ancient exotic costumes, with colorful ribbons fluttering around them.
The golden bracelets and anklets jingled and shimmered with an expensive luster.
The audience was completely stunned!
The background was still the Milky Way, with patches of nebulae still there. These seven women seemed to have transformed from the stars, their bare feet piercing through the void!
It was something that should have no connection to the universe, but it didn’t feel out of place at all.
At this moment, the entire company of Chengdong Entertainment was brightly lit. The fierce war of words had caused them to suffer repeated defeats, but now it had finally stopped. The reason was simply that the Destiny Girls’ new album had been released, and the onlookers and the opposing fans were busy listening to and watching it, and had no time to continue cursing them.
The members of Chengdong Entertainment, who had just been given a brief respite, were initially relieved, but then felt humiliated.
Immediately afterwards, they also went online to watch the MV, wanting to see just how strong the Destiny Girls Group could be.
Upon closer inspection, the entire office erupted in laughter:
What is the message this music video is trying to convey?
“Is the lack of a central theme because they saw that QWER and YUIOP’s collaboration was sci-fi, so they also forcibly added a cosmic background?”
“How could traditional Chinese culture be associated with science fiction? Science fiction is something from abroad!”
“It’s such a mismatch! They look like clowns!”
Just as everyone at Chengdong Entertainment was laughing and even planning their next move,
A huge barrage of comments floated across the screen:
[Dunhuang Flying Apsaras[1]!]
Everyone went wild and started flooding the screen with posts about the Dunhuang flying apsaras!
This outfit and attire are exactly the same as the fairies in the Dunhuang murals.
And the background is a starry river? Does that mean the fairies flew away?
The audience immediately understood what the Destiny Girls were trying to convey.
Those from Chengdong Entertainment who didn’t understand looked grim, falling silent as if they’d been slapped in the face. The shock and resentment they felt created a sense of shame.
How could they not notice something that was obvious to the audience at a glance?
Are the audience all smarter than these big shots?
The prelude was already halfway through when a flute suddenly joined in, followed by the piano. The fusion of the two sounds showcased a journey from ancient times to the present, a collision of classical and modern elements, making the entire piece sound more beautiful than ever before.
Seven female immortals from Dunhuang danced gracefully, some elegant and others domineering and fierce.
The starry sky behind them also shifted during the dance.
Time flies!
The murals have come to life!
The comments section erupted once again.
Immediately afterwards, the singing entered their ears:
[The Vermilion Bird carries Xuanyuan on its back[2]]
[Shaowei and Changyuan versus the Three Dukes[3]]
The first two sentences were enough to leave you dumbfounded! What?!
After singing two lines, the seven fairies quickly changed their dance moves. The camera angles were strange, appearing both ethereal and yet right in front of us.
They suddenly turned around.
The seven of them spoke at the same time, creating a deafening, shouting rap:
[Eastern Azure Dragon[4]]
[Jiao Kang Di Fang Xin Wei Ji[5]
Comments: Oh! I don’t understand! Hahaha! The beginning rhymes so well! Oh my god? The comments are full of experts, they even connected! Come on! Let’s do it together! Oh! I don’t understand! Is anyone there? Quickly compile the comments, and the support will be here! Use it at the concert! Ahhh! I’m so excited!
….
The music video’s progress bar continued, with seven flying girls dancing and singing the lyrics:
[The Big Dipper’s spoon tip points to the Spring and Autumn Period[6]]
[From Qigu to Kulou, a place of worship for Confucius[7]]
Rap inserted during:
[Throne of the Emperor[8]]
[The Dragon Raises Its Head on the Second Day of the Second Lunar Month[9]]
Comments: Oh! I understand, I understand! The elders are passing it on from one elder to another! Everyone, hurry up and join in! Oh! I understand, I understand! LOL! Can you believe I actually rapped this?
….
The song “Star Gate” was a combination of singing and rap, so there was rap every two lines, either connected or merged, creating an absolute auditory feast.
The fans were quite cheeky, engaging in conversations with the lyrics in the music video while listening.
The passersby were stunned, unsure whether to comment or not. The dense barrage of comments seemed to have been pre-arranged, as if they were witnessing an online support event.
In the music video, the stars were depicted as bright.
Everyone could see the constellation that formed a dragon, with a head and a tail!
From the dragon’s head to its tail, seven large characters shone forth:
Horn, Neck, Root, Chamber, Heart, Tail, Winnowing Basket[10]!
These were the Seven Mansions of the East!
The mystery was solved: the identities of the Seven Women of Dunhuang and ancient astronomy of ancient constellations.
Meanwhile, the singing continued:
[The stars follow the moon, dawn breaks, and the trees face the autumn clouds[11]]
Comments: Oh! Three Hundred Tang Poems! Everyone continue! Oh! Three Hundred Tang Poems! Oh! Three Hundred Tang Poems!
….
As the song drew to a close, the seven flying maidens returned to their positions one by one, each representing one of the seven constellations of the Eastern Azure Dragon constellation, and slowly faded into the screen.
The song drifted from afar, resounding throughout the starry sky:
[A red star hangs in the southern sky.[12]]
[Establishing troops for defense within the eight formations[13]]
[Fortune and misfortune have always been determined by the stars.]
When the song ended, the star gate closed.
The urban woman in white walked back to the alley entrance and turned around.
Her eyes were incredibly bright, as if a galaxy was reflected in them, shining with light, and the silhouette of a blue dragon constellation flashed by.
The lyrics echoed in her mind:
Fortune and misfortune have always been determined by the stars.
The music video ended here.
This piece incorporated many elements, combining traditional Chinese style with science fiction and space, a fusion that no one expected.
The music video also included a short story: a modern urban woman on her way home from work accidentally opens a star gate and witnesses the legacy of an ancient star constellation…
It was unexpected that a song that was only three minutes long could convey so much content.
Passersby were greatly impressed after watching it. In fact, to see such a high-quality picture, you needed to wear VR glasses to truly appreciate it.
Some fans didn’t quite understand, but that didn’t stop them from contributing data in one go.
Those who partially understood immediately picked up their pens to write analysis reports, displaying the same attitude they had when arguing with Beidi’s die-hard fans!
Destiny Girls’ song “Star Gate” is so educational!
T/N: This is basically a song depicting the different ancient astronomical constellations discovered by the ancient Chinese astronomers and their links together.
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[1] Dunhuang Flying Apsaras, or Feitian, are graceful celestial beings painted on the cave walls of the Dunhuang Grottoes in Northwest China.
[2] When looking at traditional star charts or observing the southern boundary of the Taiwei Enclosure (太微垣), the Xuanyuan stars sit directly above the back/neck region of the Vermilion Bird’s constellations (specifically near the Xing/Star and Willow mansions). This positioning creates the poetic visual illusion that the celestial Vermilion Bird is flying through the cosmos while carrying the Yellow Emperor’s stars on its back
[3] In the context of traditional Chinese astronomy, the relationship between Shaowei, Changyuan, and the Three Dukes (often referenced as Santai or Sangong) reflects the highly structured, hierarchical mapping of the earthly imperial court onto the night sky.
[4] The Eastern Azure Dragon (青龍, Qīnglóng) is a major celestial symbol in traditional Chinese astronomy and mythology, representing the east, the spring season, and the element of wood.
[5] These are the seven mansions of the Eastern Azure Dragon constellation according to Chinese astronomy.
[6] The Big Dipper’s rotating handle was used as a cosmic clock by ancient Chinese astronomers to determine the arrival of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
[7] Ancient Chinese astronomy was deeply tied to Confucianism because tracking the stars was considered a holy, moral duty to maintain cosmic order and grant the agricultural calendar (“season-granting”) to the people.
[8] In ancient Chinese astronomy, the Throne of the Emperor refers to specific star asterisms in the northern circumpolar sky and planetary associations that mirrored the earthly imperial court.
[9] The Dragon Raising Its Head (Longtaitou or Er Yue Er) on the second day of the second lunar month is an ancient Chinese festival rooted in the observation of the Eastern Azure Dragon Seven Mansions constellation.
[10] These names have been explained earlier… It’s their literal English translation.
[11] The evocative English translations of imagery from two distinct masterpieces featured in the definitive anthology of classical Chinese verse, the 300 Tang Poems:
1. “The River of Stars grow sharp in the sky, just before dawn…”
This line belongs to Bai Juyi’s monumental epic, “A Song of Unending Sorrow” (Chang Hen Ge / 长恨歌).
2. “…and the trees face the autumn clouds” / “faces clouds crowning a reach of trees”
This imagery comes from Wang Wei’s famous narrative landscape poem, “A Song of Peach-Blossom River” (Taohua Yuan Xing / 桃花源行).
[12] Ancient Chinese astronomers divided the night sky into four great mythological regions based on the cardinal directions and seasons. The southern sky is governed by the Red Bird of the South (Zhuque, 朱雀), a region deeply associated with the summer season and the element of fire.
[13] In traditional Chinese cosmological and military thought, the concept of establishing troops for defense within the “Eight Formations” (Baguazhen or Bazhen) is intrinsically tied to ancient Chinese astronomy and the laws of nature. Originating from the Cosmological School (Yinyang Jia) of military strategy, this defensive philosophy dictates that human armies must mirror the structure of the cosmos to create an impenetrable, self-sustaining defense.
