shizu
11-12-2003, 01:54 PM
Hello, i'm shizu, 14 years old, Filipino-Chinese and new to this board.
Recently we've been taking up the Eastern Zhou dynasty and I've noticed similarities between the Shinra and the Overlords.
First, a little background history. The Western Zhou dynasty was an orderly and systematic period, mostly due to the achievements of Duke Zhou. But the last king of the Western Zhou dynasty, King You, was killed by barbarians. They also ransacked the capital, so King Ping of Zhou had no choice but to move the capital to Luoyi.
This was the start of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, a turbulent period in Chinese History. It was divided into two sub-periods, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
During this period, the Emperor of Zhou was unstable and had little command over the masses. Sometimes the Zhou court had to seek help from dukes to solve internal affairs. Due to this the dukes had more power than the Emperor himself.
That's where the Overlords come into place. Basically, they were dukes who rose to power and became stronger than the Emperor himself. To become Overlords, sometimes these dukes would have to engage in battle with smaller countries or do some heroic feat.
Anyway, what has this got to do with FFVII? Here's my view: The Cetra were a very systematic and orderly race; peace-loving and in touch with the Planet. Then Jenova came and attacked the Cetra, wiping them out. The humans originated from the Cetra. They developed their own systems and culture. The Shinra started out as just a company, but became powerful; more powerful than the Mayor of Midgar himself. They fought with neighboring countries (Wutai) for them to acknowledge Shinra's power. The Overlords often fought with small countries so that they would acknowledge their power.
Two of the Overlords, Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin applied the philosophy "Respect the king and repulse the alien tribes". They fought against the barbarians: often with Rong and Ti. If a neighboring country needed their help, they would help them in battle. This is similar to what Rufus says to Cloud about Shinra, "Work at Shinra; get your pay. If a terrorist attacks, the Shinra army will help you."
Also, there are five Overlords: Qi Huangong (Duke Huan of Qi), Song Xianggong (Duke Xiang of Song), Jin Wengong (Duke Wen of Jin), Qin Mugong (Duke Mu of Qin), and Chou Zhuangwang (King Zhuang of Chou). At the same time, there are also five members of the Shinra executive board: Reeve, Scarlet, Hojo, Heidegger and Palmer. Rufus is the President, but at the end, after he dies , Shinra becomes unstable and the executives become more powerful and ruthless. Maybe this may not have much to do with my theory, but still, I'm just stating it for additional info.
Any thoughts?
Recently we've been taking up the Eastern Zhou dynasty and I've noticed similarities between the Shinra and the Overlords.
First, a little background history. The Western Zhou dynasty was an orderly and systematic period, mostly due to the achievements of Duke Zhou. But the last king of the Western Zhou dynasty, King You, was killed by barbarians. They also ransacked the capital, so King Ping of Zhou had no choice but to move the capital to Luoyi.
This was the start of the Eastern Zhou dynasty, a turbulent period in Chinese History. It was divided into two sub-periods, the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
During this period, the Emperor of Zhou was unstable and had little command over the masses. Sometimes the Zhou court had to seek help from dukes to solve internal affairs. Due to this the dukes had more power than the Emperor himself.
That's where the Overlords come into place. Basically, they were dukes who rose to power and became stronger than the Emperor himself. To become Overlords, sometimes these dukes would have to engage in battle with smaller countries or do some heroic feat.
Anyway, what has this got to do with FFVII? Here's my view: The Cetra were a very systematic and orderly race; peace-loving and in touch with the Planet. Then Jenova came and attacked the Cetra, wiping them out. The humans originated from the Cetra. They developed their own systems and culture. The Shinra started out as just a company, but became powerful; more powerful than the Mayor of Midgar himself. They fought with neighboring countries (Wutai) for them to acknowledge Shinra's power. The Overlords often fought with small countries so that they would acknowledge their power.
Two of the Overlords, Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin applied the philosophy "Respect the king and repulse the alien tribes". They fought against the barbarians: often with Rong and Ti. If a neighboring country needed their help, they would help them in battle. This is similar to what Rufus says to Cloud about Shinra, "Work at Shinra; get your pay. If a terrorist attacks, the Shinra army will help you."
Also, there are five Overlords: Qi Huangong (Duke Huan of Qi), Song Xianggong (Duke Xiang of Song), Jin Wengong (Duke Wen of Jin), Qin Mugong (Duke Mu of Qin), and Chou Zhuangwang (King Zhuang of Chou). At the same time, there are also five members of the Shinra executive board: Reeve, Scarlet, Hojo, Heidegger and Palmer. Rufus is the President, but at the end, after he dies , Shinra becomes unstable and the executives become more powerful and ruthless. Maybe this may not have much to do with my theory, but still, I'm just stating it for additional info.
Any thoughts?