Shenmue II Bailu Village Information

[24Nathan]

In finishing Shenmue II on the 360 (thought I'd at least experience it once), I am going through Bailu Village and thought I'd post what Shenhua talks about regarding Bailu Village...from what we've seen in the demo and other media, it seems to be consistent with what the village currently looks like, which I think is really cool. Continuity in an eighteen year gap between games is probably pretty hard to keep, not to mention these conversations are pretty niche. I'll start off with some bits and pieces from Shenmue I and Shenmue II before meeting Shenhua:

Keizo Oishi mentions that the Phoenix Mirror is made from Phantom River Stone (Master Chen also says this), which can only be found in Guilin. He also says that according to a book he read, an emperor ordered a sculptor to engrave a guardian onto a stone mirror, and the phoenix is a guardian. This must have been an ancestor to Shenhua. Ryo then asks "Is there any connection between the phoenix and the stone from Guilin? Oishi responds that while he doesn't know for sure, but "considering the legend associated with this mirror, undoubtedly there is a connection".

Yuanda Zhu says that Zhao Sunming and Iwao Hazuki both trained in Bailu Village when they were young. He also says that that Phantom River Stone can only be found there, as well as the descendants of the people who made the mirrors originally.

Bai = White
Lu = Deer

The white deer is Bailu Village's guardian.

Long ago, the village suffered from drought, and there was a forest fire. The village surrounded by flames, a white deer appeared. That white deer led the villagers to the spring in the mountain, able to escape the forest fire. From then on, the white deer appeared occasionally, saving the villagers from many dangers.

It is a small village in the mountains, far from the Yingshuihe, as one must pass two mountains to reach it.

Shenhua's father and she have always lived in Bailu Village. Her grandfather told her that it is one of the oldest villages in Guilin, having been around for hundreds of years, since the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). It has been said that some nobles that had been expelled from the city by the emperor built the village to live in hiding. About fifty people live in the village.

When talking in the cave by the fire, Ryo mentions his forklift job, and Shenhua says that there is a job like that in the village. Before Ryo cuts her off and mentions that he did his work with machines, she mentions that there is a person with many cows.

Shenhua mentions that the Shenhua theme is a song of the village, one of many.

More tomorrow...I know there are more conversations coming up regarding details that are directly seen in Shenmue III media. Very interesting, I thought.

 

[24Nathan]

Next up...

Shenhua states that she has never been outside of Guilin, not even once.

The villagers usually use herbal medicines, but for emergencies, Shenhua will go the Languishan docks to get the kind only sold in town.

During New Year's, the villagers hold a festival of the gods.

Shenhua mentions that as a child, she always played with the boys, a secret she kept from her father. This fits with Suzuki calling her tomboyish.

There's a villager who owns a huge carp. They cook them on New Year's, or when there is something to celebrate.

The houses in the village have wooden pillars, and walls made from dirt. There are also houses made from stone, some kinds can be found close to the village. Some rare, beautiful stones can only be found near the village (alluding to Phantom River Stone, I assume), which were treasured by emperors and nobles in the city. There is no glass in the village, as once broken it cannot be fixed. Nobody uses it for houses.

The villagers pray to the stone lion king statues, the ones Ryo saw at the entrances of the quarters in Hong Kong. As a child, when Shenhua had a fever, she mentions how the old lady in the village prayed for, likely referring to

Spoiler

Elder Yeh, the old lady who is humming at her house in the backer trial

. The statues have been placed in the village where roads cross, and some houses have them carved into the walls.

Most people in the village cultivate the fields, or own water buffalo or goats. There horses for people to ride as well. Ryo asks her if she can ride, and she says she can, but is not too good at it. She wanted to play with the boys more when she was younger, and wasn't really allowed to ride.

When asked what Bailu Village looks like, Shenhua says it is a quiet, small village, surrounded by the mountains. There are old buildings and castle walls there, that were built long ago

Spoiler

I'm pretty sure I saw some castle wall remnants in some of the out of bounds videos people have posted from the trial

. They were built by the nobles from the city. Shenhua mentions also the old lady that told her this, likely referring to who is in the spoiler tag above.

The nobles served the emperor, who had treasures and rare items. There were many thieves after these items, thus why the walls were built. There was a poem Shenhua mentions that was left by the nobles:
Green trees of Gui create a forest to the south of the lake
The river is a blue sash of silk (Li River)
The hills are hairpins of jade

 

[24Nathan]

A doctor visits the village at times. Shenhua mentions that her father has a heavy cough sometimes, and she rubs his back to make him feel better so he can work. The herbal medicines seem to be working okay. Everyone boils herbs and drinks them. Shenhua mentions that you can buy ingredients from the village pharmacy directly, or you can pick them and take them to the pharmacy to have the medicine made, which is confirmed in the backer trial (!). [To me, this was really cool to hear, as it is a direct gameplay element seen in the Shenmue III backer trial that was confirmed all the way back in 2001 in Shenmue II!]

Shenhua mentions that her house is on the edge of the village.

When Ryo asks Shenhua about the Shenmue tree, she mentions that the tree was already that tall when her grandfather was a child, and that it is very old. In her flashback, we see the tree among some very different looking structures where her parents name her, and the tree is much smaller, lending credence to the fact that this flashback is actually demonstrating her "ability to remember her ancestors":


Ryo feels as if the tree has a spirit, and is watching over them. He feels like he knows the tree from a long time ago, and Shenhua agrees.

After mentioning that his father is gone now, and Shenhua mentions that her father is stubborn but warm hearted, she tells Ryo that she was told that her real father had died, together with her mother. She says that she doesn't remember anything about her real parents, or how they died.

When Ryo sees the book on constellations in the house, Shenhua mentions that the North Star is said to be the harbinger of death, and that when it flickers, something bad happens. The prior night, when taking turns watching the fire on their way to her house, she saw it flicker. I assume this means that

Spoiler

her father had been kidnapped

.

Her father has had the tapestry of Luoyang for a long time. It is an old city that flourished during the Tang Dynasty. For some reason, it gives her a nostalgic feeling...when she closes her eyes, she can see the landscape of the city, and people bustling by, even though she has never been there. More linking to ancestors?

The mountain painting by the bookshelf is scary to Shenhua. She tells of an old tale that says people who set foot in the mountains do not return, and that nobody goes near them today.

In the dresser right next to the table with the mirror diagram on it, there are several rolled up pieces of large paper, one of which seems to have more information about the dragon mirror on it.

The mirror diagram is said by Shenhua's father to have been in the family for a long time. Shenhua then examines the mirror and reaffirms that Phantom River Stone can only be found in Bailu Village. Her father doesn't let her in to the Stone Pit to see his work, however.

As Ryo tells her that Lan Di came for the Dragon Mirror, she tells of an ancient legend that the ancient emperor had mirrors made from Phantom River Stone, but the rulers fought for the mirror, trying to get its hidden power, and some even lost their lives because of it.

Approaching the Stone Pit, Shenhua mentions that there are usually birds on the path up to it, and she is worried because there are none currently.

And we all know the ending. Can't wait for November 19th, to see this iteration of Bailu Village fully realized, and staying true to Shenhua's words nineteen years ago!