6/30/2023 0 Comments The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu![]() ![]() Kongming lanterns, probably invented as early as the 3rd century B.C., were small paper hot-air balloons also used for signaling and message delivery. ![]() For example, Chinese records indicate that the first kites were constructed more than 2,400 years ago and found military application as signaling devices and measuring tools (and perhaps even for spying). Silkpunk flying machines like giant kites and hot-air balloons are directly inspired by classical East Asian sources. The movements of the assemblies and subassemblies imitate animals, explicitly noted as inspirations. Thus, the machines in the book are constructed from bamboo, silk, paper, coconut and leather, and are powered by wind, water, ox sinew or muscle. Whereas the technological vocabulary and grammar of steampunk are based on chrome, glass and steam, and on mechanical precision and rigidity - echoed in the look of the corseted body - the vocabulary and grammar of silkpunk are based on organic materials and biomechanics. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |