Madoka Magica and the Purple Qi of the East
Zi Ding Xiang(Lilac) and Purple Qi of the East
I have been doing some research to figure out why her name is Zi Ding Xiang(Chinese for Lilac) and that’s when I discovered the story Purple Qi of the East(紫气东来), I’ll give a summarization that’s a bit long:
Gatekeeper of the Hangu Pass(Mountain Gateway in China) named Yinxi witnessed Purple Qi/Life Energy appear in the sky. He understood that this meant an enlightened Sage would be making their way from the Eastern Direction and so mapping out where he thinks this mysterious person would end up, he made a hut and waited there.
Eventually the Sage named Laozi would make his way to the hut, ridden on top a green Ox. Seeing the ambition he would choose to make the man his mentor and trained him in the spiritual practices. When Laozi eventually had to leave, he’d write his teachings down for Yinxi to learn even after he’s gone. These teachings would be labeled “Tao Te Ching” and be considered a foundational text in the teachings of Taoism/Daoism
Now you may ask how does this connect with our new coming Magical Girl, but let’s dissect her character and what we know. First her name “Lilac”, Lilacs are flowers most known for their eye catching purple(Zi in Chinese even means Purple) and what is purple in the story? The Qi in the heavens. We can then connect her green hair as a reference to the Ox in the story also and the “Eastern Direction” would be the Heavens where she’s come descended from the Law of Cycles(she says this directly in the new trailer)
But if Zi Ding Xiang is the Ox, who would be Laozi? Easy, the Law of Cycles itself, if we are to assign the role of Laozi giving knowledge upon Yinxi, then perhaps that translates to Zi being the force that brings Madoka to her godly self and rekindling it.
Additionally In the labyrinth like space we see her and Madoka reside in, the architecture is taken from Chinese structures and even features Taoist Towers within them, tying the spiritual practice back to the story roots. If we are to go even further Taoism is about balancing the harmony of the natural universal forces such as Yin and Yang. But with Homura now upsetting such balance, we can see Zi Ding Xiang and Selma Therese as equivalents of devotees of the Taoism practice in this world.
What do you think of this theory? It seems to all perfectly align with her motivations and character name and designs