"Travels Afar" Scenic Spot Collaboration Documentary - Guilin Chapter

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大家都听过一句话，“桂林山水甲天下”。在我们眼中，桂林之美不止是在连绵的山丘、蜿蜒的水流，更在那些穿行的渔舟，在青砖灰瓦上升腾的炊烟和渔歌。在璃月地区标志场景——荻花洲的创作中，桂林山水和它的人文特质给予了我们许多灵感。
创作一个能让玩家愿意花时间去探索和沉浸的开放世界，是我们最大的愿望。今后，我们也会继续向着这个目标不断努力。
It has been said that "Guilin has the best scenery in the world". In our eyes, this beauty lies not just in the sprawling mountains and winding rivers, but also in the fishing boats, the brick houses, smoking chimneys, and fishermen's songs. Guilin's landscapes and cultural elements played a huge role in inspiring the creation of one of Liyue's iconic areas, Dihua Marsh.
It is our greatest wish to create an open world that players will want to spend time exploring and immersing themselves in, and we will always keep striving towards that goal.

## Cultural Elements in Open-World Game Design

海地 《原神》场景美术负责人：在《原神》中自然风貌是开放世界的基础，而玩家的另一部分体验取决于人文要素营造出的沉浸感。同时，合理的人文氛围包装对承接整个游戏的世界观起到了非常重要的作用。建筑、人文景观、生活在其中的人类文明与角色和故事线相呼应的场景整体氛围包装，这些都是我们在打造场景时需要考虑的部分。这些人文细节会让整个大世界场景表现得更生动细腻而且有生气。玩家在探索体验的时候会对这个世界有自己的联想，同时也会尽可能地降低玩家的孤独感。那么如何合理地搭配人文要素，使其与自然相互融合，这一点看似平常，但是要做到和谐自然非常困难。越“自然”的东西就越难做到“自然”。同时，我们在奇幻感的包装上控制这个奇幻的“度”也非常有挑战。如何做到既不出戏又能保持美术自己的想法，这点我们在创作过程中也做过很多的取舍和平衡。
Haidi, Environment Art Team Lead: In *Genshin Impact*, the natural landscape serves as the foundation of the open world, while another part of the player's experience relies on the immersive feeling created by cultural elements. At the same time, the proper packaging of cultural ambiance plays a crucial role in conveying the overall worldview of the game. Architecture, cultural landmarks, and the civilization of the inhabitants within these spaces, which harmonize with the characters and storylines, are all essential considerations in scene creation. These cultural details bring the vast world to life with vividness and vitality. As players explore and experience, they develop their own associations with the world while minimizing feelings of solitude. However, achieving a harmonious integration of cultural elements with nature is a challenging task. The more "natural" something appears, the more difficult it is to achieve true "naturalness." Additionally, striking the right balance in presenting the fantastical elements poses its own challenges. We have made numerous compromises and found a delicate balance in the creative process to ensure that our artistic vision is maintained without breaking immersion or coherence.

## What was the creative process for Liyue's cultural atmosphere?

强鸽 《原神》璃月绝云间 场景原画：我们都听过一句话，桂林山水甲天下，而在我眼里桂林之美不止是在连绵的山丘、蜿蜒的水流，更是在那些穿行的渔舟，在青砖灰瓦上升腾的炊烟和渔歌。衬托两岸石景的是南圩河边成片的芦苇荡，这种常出现在古装电影中的芦苇荡兼具了戏剧性和自然美。看久了甚至会觉得土地本身是活着的，在隐晦地传达着某种情绪。
Qiang Ge, Scenery Concept Artist: We have all heard the saying, "Guilin's landscape is the best under heaven," but in my eyes, the beauty of Guilin extends beyond its rolling hills and winding rivers. It lies in the fishing boats that navigate through the waters, the smoke and songs rising from the blue-brick rooftops. Alongside the stone formations on both banks, there are vast stretches of reed marshes along the river. These reed marshes, often seen in period films, possess both dramatic and natural beauty. After observing them for a while, one may even feel that the land itself is alive, subtly conveying certain emotions.

唐春松 桂林博物馆馆长：桂林的人居历史可以追溯到很早很早，史前文化追溯到三万年以前。桂林地理位置它是位于一个中原文化与岭南文化交融的地方。我们的桂北民居更多的就是徽派文化。现在去龙胜还可以看到吊脚楼，它就是一种干栏建筑。这种建筑它其实就适合本地的文化、本地的气候特点、与我们地理环境、与我们桂林山水，它是有机融合的。
Tang Chunsong, Guilin Museum - Director: The human settlement history in Guilin can be traced back very, very early, with prehistoric culture dating back 30,000 years. Due to its geographical location, Guilin is a place where Zhongyuan culture and Lingnan culture converge. Our northern Guilin dwellings are more influenced by Hui-style culture. You can still see stilted houses in Longsheng, which are a type of column-supported architecture. This type of building is well-suited to the local culture, local climate characteristics, the geographical environment, and the landscape of Guilin, resulting in an organic integration.

罗建章 桂林市文化和广电旅游局调研员：桂林的文化跟山水是融在一起的，就是我们每一座山都有很多的摩崖石刻。所以到桂林来是游山如读诗。我觉得如果能把游戏放在这中央，场景的转换应该说很漂亮。以桂林的地理地貌作为背景来拍摄，把中国最好的山水体现在世人面前。
Luo Jianzhang, Guilin Culture, Broadcasting, TV and Tourism Bureau - Researcher: The culture of Guilin is intertwined with its landscape. Every mountain in Guilin is adorned with numerous cliff carvings. Visiting Guilin is like reading poetry while touring the mountains. I believe that placing the game in this setting would result in beautiful scene transitions. By using Guilin's geographical features as the backdrop, we can showcase China's finest landscapes to the world.

强鸽 《原神》璃月绝云间 场景原画：结合各种资料和参考之后，我们把桂林山水和它的人文特质融合到了璃月地区的标志性场景中，那就是荻花洲。
Qiang Ge, Scenery Concept Artist: After combining various information and references, we have incorporated the landscape and cultural characteristics of Guilin into the iconic scene of the Liyue region, which is Dihua Marsh.

Jason 《原神》璃月轻策山 荻花洲地区 关卡美术：荻花洲是玩家从蒙德城出来穿越石门以后看到的第一个场景，那它代表了整个璃月的最初印象。然后它还原了很多桂林多水、连绵的特质，也通过扁舟、渔家等等意象，把璃月人的生活勾勒在我们眼前。荻花洲的标志建筑是望舒客栈，也结合了桂林的某些建筑特征，还有电影《龙门客栈》里那种状似貌不惊人，但却卧虎藏龙的气质。
Jason, Level Artist: Dihua Marsh is the first scene that players encounter after passing through the Stone Gate when leaving Mondstadt. It represents the initial impression of the entire Liyue region. It showcases the characteristic of Guilin's abundant water and continuous landscape. Through imagery such as flat boats and fishing villages, it vividly portrays the lives of the Liyue people. The iconic building in Dihua Marsh is the Wangshu Inn, which combines certain architectural features of Guilin. It also exudes the aura of hidden talent, similar to the movie *Dragon Inn*, where appearances may be unassuming but remarkable talents lie within.

陆洋 《原神》璃月归离原 望舒客栈 关卡美术：在设计过程中，我们美术经常会思考这么一些问题：这里的人每天都在做些什么？他们的生活是一个什么样的状态？在当前游戏里，我们可以看到望舒客栈下方的平台是挑夫和商人们的歇脚站，平台上摆着简单的桌椅和茶水供客人们享用。旁边的那座水车升降机，则是为了方便客人和货物上下楼。
Lu Yang, Level Artist: During the design process, our art team often ponders over these questions: What are the people here doing every day? What is their way of life like? In the current game, we can see that the platform below Wangshu Inn serves as a resting place for porters and merchants, with simple tables, chairs, and tea provided for guests. Next to it, the waterwheel elevator is designed to facilitate the transportation of guests and goods between floors.

岩浆 《原神》璃月天衡山 关卡美术：在一些地方我们尽力深化细节，在另一些地方我们为玩家留出了想象空间。比如璃月港后山的浅池里有一座倾倒的石像，当玩家路过这排小桥可能会思考，这里是不是发生过什么。
Yan Jiang, Level Artist: In some places, we strive to enhance the details, while in other places, we leave room for players' imagination. For example, in the shallow pool behind the mountains of Liyue Harbor, there is a toppled stone statue. When players pass by this row of small bridges, they might wonder if something happened here.

## What gave us the greatest sense of achievement during the creative process?

岩浆 《原神》璃月天衡山 关卡美术：自己的想法和作品。如果能够打破幻想和现实的界限，那对我们来说是一件非常值得兴奋的事情。比如如果能亲手触摸到岩神像，就一定会回忆起初入璃月地区碰触到神像的感受。在看到玩家兴奋地交流，他们在移步易景的探索过程中那些惊奇时刻，还有游览遗迹和建筑景观时引发的回忆和猜想，也都会让我们倍感满足。创作一个让玩家愿意花时间去探索和沉浸的开放世界，是我们最大的愿望。今后我们也会继续向着这个目标不断努力。
Yan Jiang, Level Artist: Our own ideas and creations. If we could break the boundaries between fantasy and reality, it would be a very exciting thing for us. For example, if we could personally touch the statue of the Geo Archon, it would definitely bring back memories of the feeling when we first touched the statue in the Liyue region. Seeing the players excitedly communicating and experiencing those moments of wonder during their exploration of changing scenery, as well as the memories and speculations triggered while visiting ruins and architectural landscapes, all of these make us feel incredibly satisfied. Creating an open world that entices players to spend time exploring and immersing themselves is our greatest desire. In the future, we will continue to strive towards this goal.