Liyue/History

OverviewCultureHistoryDesign

See also: Timeline

A timeline of historical events in the Liyue region. References are provided as much as possible. Notes expand on the deduction and reasoning used to draw certain conclusions, which can be read either by hovering over (desktop-only) or clicking on the note. Some specific types of notes found on the page:

• Lore Discrepancy: When information provided in the game is self-contradictory, retroactively changed, or contradicts information from outside media (such as the manga), it is considered a lore discrepancy. This is different from a translation discrepancy, in which information is contradictory or misleading due to inaccuracies in localization. In the case of a lore discrepancy between in-game information and outside media, the in-game information always takes priority.
• Translation Note: Used when the original Chinese text and then official English localization do not match, or if something is clearer in Chinese. In the case of a translation discrepancy, the original Chinese text always takes priority.
• Assumptions: To make sense of the lore — which the miHoYo writers often deliberately obscure by withholding critical information until later versions, giving contradictory evidence, and scattering information across various item sets — editors will sometimes make assumptions to determine the order of events or connect pieces of lore together. However, they may be obsoleted and proven incorrect by new lore and story. These notes serve as a disclaimer, and expand on the editors' reasoning for their conclusions.

If you have any proposed changes for the timeline, please leave a comment and cite your evidence.

The First Era

Main article: Timeline § The First Era

The term "first era" is derived from The History of the Decline and Fall of Remuria.

• An ancient civilization is established in the area that is now The Chasm.

The Great War

Main article: Timeline § The Great War

The term "great war" is derived from Neuvillette's Vision Character Story, which refers to a "great war of vengeance" which badly wounded the Heavenly Principles.

• >6000 years ago — Morax, a god with dominion over Geo, is born.
• ~6000 years ago, while Morax was young — The Solar Chariot falls to the west of what is now Dunyu Ruins, creating The Chasm. This prosperous mining area would sustain the Dunyu area for thousands of years, up until the cataclysm 500 years ago. The tribespeople in the area repair it and eventually it returns to the sky.
  • In alternate versions of the tale, the Solar Chariot is not a literal chariot, but is instead a star which fell into the area now known as The Chasm and returned to the heavens of its own accord during the Archon War.
  • The Spiritstone at the bottom of the present day Chasm is a Divine Nail implied to have been cast down during this time period, but it's relationship with the Solar Chariot is unknown.
  • The ancient civilization in this area is destroyed, and the inhabitants move to Chenyu Vale.

The Interim Period

Main article: Timeline § The Interim Period

While not formally established as its own period in time, Liyue lore indicates there was a stretch of peacetime between the Great War and the Archon War.

Guili Assembly

See also: Guili Assembly

Note: The two main sources of information about the Guili Assembly, Stone Tablet Compilations: Vol. I and the World Quest Treasure Lost, Treasure Found, currently contradict each other on whether Guizhong or Morax descended on the land first and which one moved to the area afterwards. Because Stone Tablet Compilations has more information corroborated by other in-game sources, the wiki will assume it has the correct version.

• ? years ago — Morax descends on the region of Liyue, where he raises Mt. Tianheng, quells the seas, and lowers the tides. To pacify the seas, he defeats many sea monsters including one beast known as Baqiu. Jueyun Karst was created in such a way at an unknown point in time, with the water being drawn into an underground reservoir.
• ? years ago — Guizhong, the Lord of Dust, befriends Morax. At some point, she and her people move north of Mt. Tianheng for reasons unknown. Morax and Guizhong establish the Guili Assembly, which derives its name from the first character of Guizhong's name, and one character of Morax's (using his name at the time, which is unknown). This civilization spanned the area between Mt. Tianheng and Stone Gate. It was extremely prosperous, flourishing under the trades of agriculture and mining, and became a trading hub.
  • Guizhong establishes four commandments to guide her people:
    "To unite in ambition is to be steadfast and immovable for all time."
    "Wisdom is like water, it nourishes all those who receive it and in it is a reflection of the truth."
    "Fortify the bones, that movement be supple when the time comes."
    "Virtue grows tall like a tree, though there be shade it will flourish forever."
  • Guizhong and Cloud Retainer, among other adepti, create the Guizhong Ballistas to defend the Guili Assembly from external threats.

Lisha Civilizations

Note: It is unknown whether the Sea God truly existed or whether he had any link to the Lisha region, but his story and the legends regarding Lisha seem to have some relation.

• ? years ago — Early civilizations in the Lisha region of Liyue are established at Dunyu Ruins, Lingju Pass, Qingxu Pool. At some point either before or during the Archon War, the civilizations at Lingju Pass and Qingxu Pool were destroyed and submerged underwater, only reemerging after the end of the Archon War.
  • Legends say that these ruins predate the Geo Archon's rule over Liyue. The whole of Lisha was covered by water at the time of the Archon War, and back then this rocky outcrop was nothing more than a little islet that rose above the water's surface. After peace was restored, the region of Lisha unfurled once more as the tides withdrew, revealing the ancient buildings erected by the early peoples.
  • What [Soraya] told me was that these ruins were left behind by an evil god, whose name has been wiped from the record, and its people. But in the end, the sea gave way to forests and fields, the self-serving god was defeated, and the strongholds and temples of the ancient city the god's people once built were left to crumble. That is how Qingxu Pool came to be. The ruins were submerged until the long Archon War finally came to an end, emerging on the landscape as the tide subsided."
• ? years ago — The Sea God gives his people a year without storms and tsunamis in exchange for a human bride. After many generations, one such bride — whom he had permitted to return to the surface world — caused the destruction of her village after she asked for the Sea God's aid when her daughter was to be taken away from her to be offered as his bride.
  • "The Sea God looked majestic indeed as he sat center stage in his giant clam, holding in his hands the reins of two sea serpents. They stood as imposing as Mt. Tianheng before the royal carriage as their master accepted the gifts of pearls from the village elders and welcomed his new bride aboard the carriage. In return, the village would receive the Sea God's blessing: a year free from tempests and tsunamis."
    [...] The Sea God responded to the call, rising up from the billowing waves to greet the village. But his embrace was a tidal wave that engulfed the village, and took the villagers and elders in their sleep.

Chenyu Vale

• The surviving inhabitants of the Chasm civilization relocates to Chenyu Vale.

Other Regions of Liyue

• ? years ago — Havria, the God of Salt, establishes her domain in Liyue; the original expanse of her territory is unknown, but it included Sal Terrae. She was known for being gentle and kind-hearted, but weak. It is theorized that Liyue's flower ball wedding tradition may have derived from Havria's act of handing out bunches of flowers to her followers.
• ? years ago — The village at Wuwang Hill is established. It would exist in relative peace until some time after Liyue Harbor was established, after which the bewitching song of a whale-like sea monster (potentially the Oceanid Rhodeia of Loch, considering the monster's physical description and current location) led all the youths of the village to their doom, and its elders died with no one to carry on the village.

The Archon War (?–2000 years ago)

Main article: Archon War

Note: The term "Archon War" is a catch-all term for the various, scattered conflicts across Teyvat to determine who would become one of The Seven, which arose as a result of the creation of the Gnoses. Due to the timeline's ambiguity, this section also includes events after the divine nails were cast down.

• ? years ago — Seven divine seats in Celestia open up, causing the gods to become embroiled in a bitter struggle for supremacy.
  • Many gods fought for the sake of their ideals for a prosperous humanity. "That which lurks within and animates this relic are the divine remains of lamenting gods. They are unrealized ideals, designs for a prosperous humanity that could never be."
  • During the Archon War, the infighting amongst gods was but one cause of conflict in Teyvat; other creatures and entities also sought to expand their domains, taking advantage of the chaos to encroach on the continent.
    • In Liyue, legends of sea monsters are commonplace due to the "other-shore," a region that lies outside of Teyvat. People in ancient times would use the bones of such sea monsters as figureheads on their ships to frighten away the beasts.

The Fall of the Guili Assembly

• >4000 years ago — Xiao, whose true name is yet unknown, is born. An evil god discovers his weakness, using it to enslave him and force him to perform cruel and violent acts. During one battle in the Archon War, the two ran afoul of Morax, who defeats the evil god and liberates the enslaved adeptus, bestowing the name "Xiao" onto him for his protection. Xiao afterwards becomes one of the Yakshas to repay his debt to Morax, and in this role is known by the Yaksha call sign "Alatus."
• 3700 years ago — One particular battle occurs in the Guili Assembly — despite being a nation protected by Morax, Guizhong, and the adepti, it ravages Guili Plains and causes landslides that transform Dihua Marsh from a fertile islet into a swamp. Guizhong is also slain in the process. The exact cause of its destruction is unknown and many theories exist among Liyue folklore.
  • >10 days later — Following the fall of the Guili Assembly, Morax, Marchosius, and the adepti lead their people south of Mt. Tianheng, where they establish Liyue Harbor. Morax creates a contract with the adepti to defend it.
  • The Millelith Brigade is established to protect the people and defend against monsters.
  • Morax teaches his people how to create houses, using Mora to create a model home. He also establishes minted Mora as Liyue's currency, for convenience.
  • After creating Liyue Harbor, Morax decides to wage war against the other gods, seeing it as the only way to restore order and protect humanity.
    • "He sought celestial order, to stay the tide of turbulence.
      Adepti rallied round him, yaksha guardians charged ahead,
      Frightened by the courageous people the demons fled."
    • "I wish not for dominion, yet I cannot watch the common people suffer."
• December 2, >3000 years ago — Sometime either before or during the Archon War, Ganyu is born. She later participates in the war to protect Liyue Harbor, signing a contract with Morax.
  • There are no details on when exactly she was born, however it is speculated that Ganyu may have been alive during the Guili Assembly era based on the wording in her third Character Story.
  • During one battle, Ganyu — who was much more rotund during this time — unintentionally chokes a monster to death when it underestimated her girth and tried to eat her. This incident has led her to maintain a strict diet in order to keep a slim physique.
• >2000 years ago — Morax hears the pleas of Azhdaha, a blind Geo elemental dragon who dwelt beneath the mountains of Nantianmen. He takes pity on the dragon and takes it aboveground, bestowing sight upon it with just a touch. They form a contract, where Azhdaha agrees not to endanger humanity in exchange for living alongside them. Azhdaha then aids Morax in battles across Teyvat.
• 3700–2000 years ago — The following events presumably occur sometime between Liyue Harbor's establishment and the end of the Archon War. The events are listed in a tentative chronological order, but there is no confirmation on when exactly they occurred relative to the present.
  • During a certain battle in the Archon War, the opposing god slashes Mt. Tianheng, creating a crack in the mountain's foundation and threatening to collapse on the village at the base of the mountain. To prevent this, the adeptus Skybracer has a friend cut off his antlers — a gift from Morax himself, made of his divine essence and thus the hardest material in Liyue — and uses them to prop up the mountain. This act causes the mountains to elevate higher than it had been originally. Skybracer then continues to fight until he dies from blood loss, his blood turning into the Bishui River. The people who lived at the base of the mountain held him in high regard for this action, even more so than Morax.
  • Havria, whose gentle nature and weak martial prowess put her at a disadvantage during this brutal era, futilely attempted to peacefully resolve the conflicts that erupted. Realizing it was too late for anyone to stop, she turned her efforts to creating a place of refuge for humans displaced by these wars. However, due to her relatively weak powers, she stood no chance against other gods and chose to make concession after concession, until she lost all her lands besides Sal Terrae. There, she created a small city with her followers — but they, seeing that she had no chance of surviving through this war, decided to give her a swift and painless end rather than consign her to defeat at the hands of other gods. However, the power that surged from her body after her death salinified the city and its inhabitants, while her own body withered away into a small salt flower.
    • Her followers who managed to escape salinification were scattered across Liyue after the loss of their god and home. Many went to Liyue Harbor and eventually became Yinyuan Hall of the salt industry, one of the Eight Trades. Some descendants of those people, fearing Havria cursed them for their ancestors' betrayal, risked their lives to enter Sal Terrae and break the sword used to kill her. By the time of the present, however, Havria's story has been twisted among the people of Yinyuan Hall, and they now believe she was a powerful god who was assassinated by Morax out of envy.
  • Morax defeats many gods and sea monsters at Guyun Stone Forest, including the ancient god Osial, by throwing down massive stone spears to pin them to the ocean floor, and using Sigils of Permission to seal them. The resulting stone formation, when viewed from above, takes the general shape of his own Geo symbol.
    • ~2600 years ago — Chi (in the ancient language, Qingce) makes its nest in the area now known as Mt. Qingce and takes over the region. Morax fights it at a "great height" and succeeds in subduing it.
      • In fantastical Liyue legends, although Zhongli (Morax) reveals they are merely the product of people's imagination, Chi and its nest transform the area around Mt. Qingce into its current state after its death — its body turns into stone, its blood becomes water, and its scales turn into terraced fields. Even after its death, however, Chi's power seeps into the land, creating the Blood-Fed Trees and suspicious orange stones at Bishui Plain that poisoned the area. To suppress its power, Morax seals its remains in five different locations with Geo Seals and water to prevent its revival.
      • People during this time used images to record major events, purportedly because writing had not yet been invented. The veracity of this claim is dubious since the ruins at Guili Plains use written language, although it is possible that Chi was defeated long before the seals to contain it were created.
    • While combating the other gods and sea monsters, Morax used a variety of methods to combat them: along with massive stone spears (pillars), he also summoned meteors, a Geo Whale, and stone birds.
  • The original village at Wuwang Hill falls after a whale-tailed monster leads the youth to their death.
• ? years ago — The bodies of the gods and monsters Morax defeated over the course of the Archon War were compressed, decomposed, and became part of the earth, while the gods' spirits lost their senses of self and were no longer capable of holding personal grudges. However, their lingering hatred and resentment still remained, creating miasmas, curses, and monsters. Morax summoned the yakshas, a certain subset of the adepti, to aid him in suppressing these manifestations of evil gods. They carried out this duty for some thousand years, even after the Archon War ended.
  • The five strongest Yakshas were Bosacius, Bonanus, Menogias, Indarias, and Alatus (Xiao). Among the lesser yakshas were Pervases, who was slain in the Archon War.
• ? years ago — An unknown doctor takes the frontline in eradicating the karmic disease caused by the corpses of the malevolent gods whom the Yakshas had slain. The negative karma had become a pestilence that spread across Liyue. The bodies of the infected humans only furthered its spread, "as the dead were a breeding ground for the disease". The Rite of Homa prevented further spread by cremating corpses which, eventually, caused the epidemic to come to an end. Furthermore, the pioneers of this practice were the founders of what is now known as Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. The practice and parlor have been passed down from generation to generation. The quote of the family is "only an unbound flame can purify this world."
  • The rite conducted by the staff clears the corpses of traces of evil karma so they are able to free themselves and carry on to the afterlife. Their spirits take the form of an ashen butterfly. The doctors (who eventually became the directors of Wangsheng) have never had any regrets due to their altruistic lifestyle, and as such pass on without regrets, also in the form of a fiery butterfly.
• >2000 years ago — After suppressing all other gods in his region, Morax becomes the Geo Archon, restoring peace to the land now known as Liyue.

Post-Archon War (2000–500 years ago)

• 2000 years ago — The Archon War comes to an end as the final divine seat in Celestia is claimed, cementing the positions of The Seven's original members. Defeated gods who refused to live under The Seven's rule fled to islands in the Dark Sea, where they became evil gods.
• After Barbatos pays a visit to Morax — not in need of assistance, but rather to explore the neighboring country — the first iteration of The Seven would often gather in Liyue Harbor.
• 2000 years ago — With their combat prowess no longer needed, some adepti seclude themselves in Jueyun Karst. Others ask Morax to transform their mortal bodies into stone, resulting in the stone figures seen around Liyue.
  • Unlike the adepti, the Yakshas suffered a gruesome fate. The hatred emanating from the demons tainted their souls, while the unending slaughters they participated in accrued karmic debt. One by one, the yakshas went mad, died, and/or disappeared.
    • Bonanus and Menogias most likely both died when the two fought against each other. Indarias went mad with fear and was also dead.
  • The Liyue Qixing, an organization comprised of the seven foremost businesspeople in Liyue Harbor, are established. Ganyu becomes secretary to the Liyue Qixing.
• ? years ago — A martial nomad named Guhua was known throughout Liyue; his life is shrouded in mystery, but some claim he was an adeptus and ascended to Celestia at the end of his journey. After his ascension, a person who was close to him established the Guhua Brotherhood in his honor.' After several hundred years, however, the organization dwindled and became the Guhua Clan.
• March 3, ? years ago — Qiqi is born as a human.
• ? years ago — During one of the battles between adepti and demons, the herb gatherer Qiqi ran afoul of the combatants and became trapped between life and death as a result. Her desire to live granted her a Vision, which the adepti saw as a divine blessing. To save her life, each gave her a portion of their adeptal energies; her life was indeed spared, but she was turned into a zombie, and her mortal vessel could not handle the adeptal power and she went berserk. To quell the disturbance, Mountain Shaper trapped her in amber, where she would remain for several hundred years.
• >1000 years ago — Azhdaha begins to forget those around him, his memories eroding. Morax attempts to help him fix his deteriorating memory, but the solution doesn't work. He begins to become irritable, his spirit naturally angry for whatever reason.
• 1000 years ago — The people of Liyue mine in the mountains, overexploiting the area for resources. This causes the Ley Lines to quake, causing great suffering to Azhdaha, who is sustained and nourished by their energy. The pain, combined with his inability to recognize his loved ones, enrages him, and he attacks the Chasm in an attempt to stop his anguish. He destroys the settlement at Tianqiu Valley in the process.
  • Through the combined efforts of Morax, Mountain Shaper, Moon Carver, and a third currently unknown adeptus, Azhdaha is sealed in a pocket dimension at Nantianmen.

Pre-Cataclysm (>500 years ago)

• Morax signs a contract with an unknown party, agreeing to not disclose whatever is about to happen in the cataclysm.
• Among the five Yakshas, only Bosacius and Alatus remained. Before he went insane, Bosacius wished to seal off his treasure and to be done with this world.
  • After Bosacius went insane and abandoned his post, he was drawn by the conflict of The Chasm and went there to fight.
  • Ultimately, Alatus (Xiao) became the sole known yaksha left in this world.

The Cataclysm (500 years ago)

Main article: Cataclysm

• Monsters from the Abyss invade the aboveground world of Teyvat, causing widespread devastation.
  • The people of Teyvat attribute the creation of these monsters to a "great sinner," Gold, also known as Albedo's master and mother Rhinedottir. Her creations, the Alfisol were the advance guard for the monsters from the Abyss
• The Kingdom of Khaenri'ah is destroyed by the Heavenly Principles, causing the fall of the Eclipse Dynasty and the entire civilization. Khaenri'ah's destruction causes a devastating ripple effect.
  • The Seven become involved in Khaenri'ah after the Abyss' invasion of Teyvat.
• The Chasm and Dunyu Ruins are two known locations majorly impacted by the cataclysm.
  • An 'iron meteorite' impacted the Chasm and then monsters poured out of the Chasm and in response, Morax sent the Millelith to defend and evacuate the miners.
    • An unnamed yaksha — who had once abandoned their duty to defend Liyue — returned to fight alongside the Millelith. The yaksha and Millelith who chose to lead the vanguard ultimately perished in battle.
    • The monsters' threat was diverted by the combined efforts of the Yaksha — who revealed to be Bosacius, a mortal thaumaturge named Boyang, and the Millelith vanguard. They contrived a stratagem to trap and seal the beasts in the depths of The Chasm by using the Fantastic Compass, a catalyst which had the power to manipulate space. In the critical moments of the fight, Bosacius, Boyang and the Millelith vanguard ultimately sacrificed themselves by sealing themselves along with the beasts because the compass needed constant energy flow from a mortal and an adeptus to operate.
    • There were very few survivors of the conflict in the Chasm. One such person was Rongzhao, Boyang's brother, but he went insane when returned to his family. Another figure was a Millelith who lost all four limbs when rescuing the miners and fending off the monsters, but later he taught himself to become a famed doctor. He set up the memorial of the fellow Millelith comrades after he received a Vision.
  • What occurred in Dunyu Ruins is unknown, but its people decided to abandon the city and move to Liyue Harbor; none of the refugees nor adepti have spoken about what happened there.
    • The emerging abyssal influence was said to be the reason people abandoned Dunyu Ruins, and it became a ruin.
    • Dunyu Ruins may be the byproduct of the main conflict in the Chasm, due to the fact that Bosacius commanded the Millelith force to hold the line at 60 miles outside The Chasm at all costs, which can mean the nearest location, Dunyu Ruins, was also affected by the Chasm's waves of monsters as well.

Post-Cataclysm (500–100 years ago)

• <500 years ago — In Liyue, the cataclysm created a martial arts renaissance as people sought ways to fight the monsters that continued appearing even after the immediate monster threat ended. Yun Hui of the Yun Family, a clan of blacksmiths, joined forces with master craftsman Han Wu to produce a series of weapon designs now known as the "prototypes."
  • Following their fathers' footsteps, Yun Huang and Han Ce cooperated to create the Blackcliff Series.

Recent Past (<100 years ago)

Note: The bullets below are arranged in order of relative reverse chronological order, estimated based on characters' apparent ages.

• 50–40 years ago — Amber's grandfather, a renowned mercenary leader from Liyue, falls victim to a disastrous monster attack that leaves him the sole survivor. After being saved by a doctor from the Knights of Favonius, he decides to move to Mondstadt and become a member himself. There, he established the Outriders, a division of archer scouts whose members he personally trained. He also starts a family there.
  • Amber's grandfather is implied to be the adventurer whom Granny Ruoxin fell in love with and promised to live with at Qingce Village, who embarked on an expedition only to disappear. The Qingce Village Bulletin Board contains a message about an unnamed former villager who went to Mondstadt to become a knight, who has recently (as of the present day) returned only to "skulk about," though his manner of using a wind glider is apparently unmistakable.
• ~40–20 years ago — Big G has an accident and passes away. The village at Wuwang hill suffers (another) disaster, and all the village's inhabitants (including Little Wu, Meng, Mumu, and Congzi) abandon their hometown, heading to Liyue Harbor.
• 30 years ago — The last time that Cloud Retainer took on her human form before moving to Liyue Harbor.
• 20 years ago — The last time the Mingxiao Lantern of the Lantern Rite Festival was as big as it is in present day.
• ? years ago — The Wangshu Inn is constructed at Dihua Marsh by the Liyue Qixing, operated by Verr Goldet and Huai'an, in order to provide covert support for Xiao.
• Hu Tao's grandfather, the 75th director, dies when she is 13. She takes over Wangsheng Funeral Parlor as the 77th director. Her grandfather's funeral is the first funeral she oversees. She receives her Vision after her visit to Wuwang Hill to see if he has moved on to the afterlife peacefully.
• 4 years ago, after Crepus' death — Amber's grandfather abruptly resigns from the Knights of Favonius and disappears, leading to rumors that he had defected.
  • At some point after leaving Mondstadt, a man matching his description returns to Qingce Village some 40–50 years after he last visited the village.
• Qiqi, still trapped in amber after hundreds of years, is discovered and taken to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor for burial. However, she is still alive thanks to the adeptal energy bestowed upon her and, with the seal having worn off over hundreds of years, manages to escape in the middle of the night. She stumbles upon Baizhu, who decides to employ her at Bubu Pharmacy due to her unique nature.
• >2 years ago — The Chasm is sealed off due to numerous reasons: mysterious accidents, miners dug up a strange, harmful "Wish Granter", and strange earthquakes. The decision was made despite the Chasm's wealth and quite surprisingly.
  • The Liyue Qixing set up a seal called the Seven-Star Array to seal off the underground mine. The vital points (and weak points) of the seal lied on the set of Bedrock Keys around the seal.
  • For over 2 years, the phenomenon call the Cage-Shaped Geo Formation began to erect from the bedrock of the Chasm. They have been absorbing Geo elemental energy from the surroundings, slowly eroding the structure of the Bedrock Keys.
  • The Chasm actually was never closed off entirely, professional miners were still working here in case of emergencies. Treasure Hoarders also infiltrated the mine and did illegal mining.
  • Shortly after the closing, La Signora signed some mutual trade agreements with the Liyue Qixing to explore the Chasm. The Fatui would send an advance team to investigate and eradicate the abnormalities in the underground mines, and both Snezhnaya and Liyue would share the result.
• 1 year ago — Dongsheng commits tax evasion by intentionally failing to declare some furniture he had made at Fanmu's Carpenters.
• Shortly before the events of the Liyue Archon Quests — Tartaglia and Javert collect an outstanding debt held by the owner of Yanshang Teahouse, obtaining the Sigil of Permission in his possession. Childe also exposes the previous owner's fraud, landing him in jail.
  • After the events of the Liyue Archon Quests — Yelan, an intelligence agent operating under Ningguang, takes over the teahouse as its new owner, where she uses the location as a front for her operations.