Credit: Tencent, Eternal Love of Dream
After the timeline was posted, some of the fans were curious about how different, time was in the Mortal World as compared to the Heavenly Realm. They posed questions such as: ‘How long did it take for Feng Jiu to go to the mortal realm to repay her debt of gratitude? When did she go and when did she come back? Why did it take her so long? Hadn’t it been mentioned that one year in the mortal world was equivalent to one day in the Heavenly Realm?’
Tang Qi’s explanation revealed that time in the Three Lives Three World series does not consistently abide by the “one year equivalent to one day” rule. Thankfully, she decided to graciously shed light on this recently, though, whether you come out of her answer feeling more lost or enlightened is another matter altogether!
Rooted in Chinese Consciousness
The first point to note is that immortals and mortals are different; even in regard to time. In her explanation, she offers two examples. [Tang Qi draws inspiration from literary works of ancient yore and begins her post by pointing out that the relativity of time is deeply rooted in Chinese consciousness.]
[the first example] She cites the Stories of Different Records, written around the time of the Southern Dynasty (a collection of more than 300 strange, mythical and legendary stories written by Liang Ren Fang, circa 460-508). In it was a story known as the Illusion of the Lan Ke People which showcased the differences in time that one experiences between the Heavenly realm and the Mortal World.
This section is not in her post but has been added to illustrate where she drew her idea of ‘one year in the mortal world is equivalent to one day in the Heavenly Realm’ from.
The story (entitled Illusion of the Lan Ke People) is about a man who went to the forest in search of firewood. While searching, he came across a boy and a man playing a game of Go by the creek. He set his axe down and watched them play. After watching them for a long time, the boy told him that he should go home. When he picked up his axe, he realised that the handle had decayed and the blade of the axe, which had once been shiny, was now rusty. When he went back to his village, no one could recognise him anymore. Moreover, things that he mentioned, according to the villagers, had occurred a few hundred years ago. He then realised that he had accidentally stumbled upon Fairyland. And one day there was equivalent to a century in the human world. (Source: http://m.qulishi.com/article/201806/285755.html)
[the second example] She adds that in the Journey to the West, it was also mentioned that ‘one day in the sky, is one year on earth.’
Differences in Time as Depicted in Three Lives Three Worlds
Here is further evidence that ‘the one year one day’ rule, is not universally applicable throughout all the worlds in her books.
Example #1
When Ye Hua was sent to the mortal world as penance for destroying the Four Godly Beasts, he spent 60 years in the mortal realm but in reality, his separation from Bai Qian was only for a mere two months.
Example #2
Time passes differently in each of the billions of mortal worlds, some slower and some faster than the Heavenly Realm. In Lotus Step, time in the Da Xi Dynasty runs faster than in the Heavenly Realm; everyday in the Nine Heavens is equivalent to one year in the Da Xi Dynasty.
Example #3
In the mortal world where Feng Jiu went to repay her debt of gratitude as Concubine Chen, time evolves the same there as in the Four Seas and Eight Wilderness, i.e. six months in the Mortal World was six months in the Fours Seas and Eight Realms. Tang Qi cites snippets of the Pillow Book and Ten Miles of Peach Blossom (Chapters 7 and 10) to support this conclusion.
Example #4
Time in the Underworld runs on a totally different scale from that of the Four Seas and Eight Realms. Upon their death, billions of mortals will need to enter the Underworld and there is limited space. To accommodate their sheer numbers, time in this Realm lasts much longer than in the mortal world and there is no night and day there. The time it takes to have a cup of tea (an hour) in the Mortal World equals 12 hours in the Underworld. [Tang Qi says she sympathises with Xie Gu Chou and Xie Hua Lou in this aspect.]
Theory of Relativity
It’s not only fiction where time differences are experienced. [Tang Qi starts to get scientific on us at this juncture.] Einstein is brought into the picture at this point, with his theory on time dilation; that time can be perceived as running at different rates according to the law of physics. But she stops short of an explanation, stating that it is complicated. She then moves briefly into the concept of black holes, time and space distortion, which science fiction buffs probably can relate to. Finally, she tells us to imagine Three Lives Three Worlds as a real universe, containing different worlds or planets that rotate at different speeds and planes.
And to wrap it up, she recommends that we look forward to the next world that will be revealed…
Credit: Tang Qi, https://freewechat.com/a/MzU3MzA3NDk5Mg==/2247484207/1