Ancient cultural treasures in 'Ne Zha 2'

The Chinese animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 has captured the hearts of audiences since its release during Spring Festival this year. As of Feb 22, the film's box office revenue has surpassed 13 billion yuan (about $1.8 billion), cementing its place as China's all-time top-grossing film.

In this legendary animation, numerous treasures of ancient cultural relics are brought to life, traveling through thousands of years and "resurrecting" on the silver screen. Let's take a closer look at these cultural elements and the real-life prototypes that inspired them.

Seven-colored lotus

In Ne Zha 2, the seven-colored lotus, a multilayered lotus root, plays a pivotal role in reconstructing the bodies of the protagonists, Ne Zha and Ao Bing. This fantastical concept is inspired by the Boshan censer, a 2,000-year-old gilt-bronze incense burner housed at the Hebei Museum in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province.

The Boshan censer was an incense burner used indoors during the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), named for its resemblance to the mythical immortal mountain.