INTRODUCTION
In Chinese history, the Book of Rites, or Liji (simplified: 礼记 - lit. “Record of Rites”), details Confucian ceremonies that were considered proper etiquette for expressing respect for others — [Piety] being the key Confucian virtue here. Of these ceremonies, there are four rites of passage: coming-of-age, marriage, mourning, and sacrificial/tributary.
(EXTERNAL REVIEW: CLICK HERE TO READ MORE - NOT PRECISELY CN RELATED, BUT STILL RELEVANT).
The focus in this page will be on the Coming-of-Age ceremony - the point where society recognizes the youth as a fully-established adult. After which, young men and women would be considered of-age to marry, able to participate in society independently, etc.
— THE CEREMONIES
There are many different variations across the world, but it remains a consistent theme that these usually take place between the ages of 15-20. In the Western world, the Quinceañera (lit. “fifteen-year-old” [feminine]) and the “Debutante Ball” are among the more commonly-known examples.
Turning back to the traditional Confucian rites, there are two ceremonies - with two different ages for each. Similar variants exist for other Southeast Asian countries, though they may forgo the split between the male and female rites.
For young women, they have the Ji Li (simplified: 笄礼 - lit. “Hairpin Ceremony”). It takes place at the age of 15.* For young men, they have the Guan Li (simplified: 冠礼 - lit. “Capping Ceremony”). It takes place at the age of 20.*
Previously, these ages were reflective of “socially ideal timeframes” for marriage — approximately 15 for women and approximately 20 for men. It even used to be the case that the ceremony was held for people to become married — a combined betrothal ceremony, of sorts.** This later fell out of practice and became the “recognition of adulthood” that people are more familiar with nowadays.
It has since further fallen out of overall use and hasn’t been commonly seen since the 20th century in China. Though, it has seen a recent resurgence as a part of the large-scale, political restructuring in the 1950s. Those who continue to follow the tradition can be recognized as either well-to-do enough to host the ceremony, or those who have deep roots. However, anyone of any social class still can partake and host as they please.
—- HOW IT MANIFESTS IN WUTHERING WAVES
Yangyang’s Intimacy Story 3 speaks about the dichotomy of Yangyang at two different points in life — her youth (age 5*) and her fledgling adulthood (age 15*)— and how her outlook on the world has not significantly changed since then. This nods toward the Coming-of-Age ceremony and likely serves as a reference to how old her family might be; they are long-renowned for their connection to music and otherwise successful careers beyond it. It wouldn’t be unnatural for the family to adhere to the tradition.
Jinhsi was raised to be the Appointed Resonator of Jué, while also willingly taking on the responsibility of becoming Jinzhou’s next Magistrate. This included a rigorous curriculum encompassing a wide array of subjects — likely including older practices to fully demonstrate [Piety] to her role and the people she would be leading. As such, she should have formally completed her ceremony before ascending to the role of Magistrate.**
The Crownless is originally a direct reference to the idea of “coming-of-age” according to these developer notes. It has yet to reach maturity, instead embodying the primal barbarism of humanity. Should it mature, it shall don the “crown” it sorely lacks — bearing all of the weight of its authority upon Solaris-3.
Hongzhen natives partake in a trial by strength for a specific coming-of-age moment. It’s not a direct “capping/hairpin ceremony,” as it appears to have been originally a tradition to select candidates to serve as guardians for Hongzhen’s defenses after the big TD outbreak. It remains equally symbolic though — those who pass are considered qualified to protect the Sentinel and Hongzhen as guardians.
—- Notes:
*Wuwa has these ages increased by +1 in-game, technically. This is because the story has decided to incorporate a older age reckoning system as well — one based on the lunar calendar. Essentially, the system is counting age from conception rather than birth, boiling down to just adding +1 to our current system counting system. This may be covered at a later time if there are more references to it in the future. **There are instances where a single ceremony is a combination of multiple different events. For example, Betrothals, Weddings, and Receptions have their own ceremonies — however, people often combine them for convenience’s sake; especially in the case of the “picking up of the bride” tradition. This may be less common for people who fall into the “Old Family” category and adhere more strictly to tradition.
—- Citations (hyperlinked where possible):