Ganyu/Lore

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The secretary to the Liyue Qixing. The blood of both human and illuminated beast flows within her veins.
Graceful and quiet by nature, yet the gentle disposition of qilin sees not even the slightest conflict with even the most arduous of workloads.
After all, Ganyu firmly believes that all the work she does is in honor of her contract with Rex Lapis, seeking the well-being of all living things within Liyue.

—Description from the Official Website

Personality

The secretary at Yuehai Pavilion. The blood of the qilin, an illuminated beast, flows within her veins.

—In-game character attributes and profile page text

Ganyu is usually very quiet and reserved due to her half-qilin heritage. She also completes whatever is given to her, whether it be tasks or food, even if she is reluctant to do so.

Ganyu has served as the non-stopping secretary of the Liyue Qixing for thousands of years. The more important the task is, the more effort she puts into it, but she also becomes increasingly nervous and is more prone to making mistakes.

She has a huge work schedule, often working overtime. As a result, Ganyu has very few friends outside of work. Due to her age, she is very forgetful, and she often forgets important details which causes her much embarrassment. She is relatively sleepy and is very sensitive about both her horns and weight.

Appearance

As a half-human, half-adeptus (to be precise, half qilin) hybrid, Ganyu has characteristics of both regular mortals and features found only in the gods.

Ganyu takes the appearance of a young woman with pale blue hair, fading into a darker shade at the ends. Her hair is styled in a layered, chin-length cut with two shoulder-length locks in front and the back section left long. Similarly to Kaeya's hair, it is easy to mistake for a ponytail, though not actually tied by anything. Though she mostly resembles a human, she has black-red horns that bend back along her hair, similar to how a goat's horns look, with brighter red markings on them. Many people confuse it as a headdress, a misconception that Ganyu actively encourages. She has purple multicolored heterochromatic eyes that fade into pink then gold.

Her outfit consists of a black bodysuit with gold accents on the legs underneath a white and purple bodice with long ends similar to a tailcoat, with a separated pair of sleeves to match. The bodysuit meets at the back of her neck to make a bow. She has white heels with gold accents and gray bottoms, with red knots around her ankles. Her Cryo Vision rests on her left hip with a red cloverleaf knot. Her outfit, Frostdew Trail, is described to be as elegant clothing blessed by the mighty and illuminated adepti. Additionally, she wears a golden bell around her neck.

Official Introduction

Drink only spring water, eat only whole grain. Proceed with elegance, avoid certain peril.

It is said that the qilin carry an auspicious grace, yet who knows of the loneliness of a benevolent being among the sea of people?

—Tianshu of the Liyue Qixing

For the Liyue Qixing of the lofty Yujing Terrace, Ganyu is not merely a companion to serve them, but is instead coordinator of the web of information that moves across Liyue Harbor, and the architect of administrative efficiency.

Complex meeting minutes, disorderly report data... Every day piles of documents flow by like water, each one personally compiled by her into clear and concise words in order to assist the Qixing's every decision and negotiation as they flow through various organizational departments.

In the eons that have gone by, the Qixing have changed with each succession of their posts, while only Ganyu has lived to see the flourishing of Liyue Harbor from beginning to the modern day.

The human blood that runs through her veins makes her reluctant to leave the splendor of the city lights, while her adeptus side leads her to yearn for the gentle serenity of her adeptal homeland.

For the half-human, half-adeptus Ganyu, between the bustling sea of people and the ethereal clustered peaks, which is more fitting to call home?

Character Stories

Character Details

Though many in Liyue are fascinated by life in Yujing Terrace, its day-to-day operations and rules are a mystery to them.

They are aware that the Liyue Qixing are the cream of the crop who hold the fate of the city in their hands, but the calculations and data behind the Qixing's every decision are far harder to grasp.

The people understand that the new policies announced each year will change the dynamics of the market, yet none can comprehend how policy is plucked from complex meeting minutes and compiled into something easier on the human eye.

As the secretary of Yuehai Pavilion, Ganyu undertakes many tasks that ordinary folk do not see. The calculations and data behind the Qixing's every decision in Liyue, as well as every ordinance and regulation that is announced, are all the meticulous work of Ganyu.

Each daybreak she stands by the dock, enjoying her breakfast in silence. Even still, by the time the sun has fully risen, she will have returned to Yuehai Pavilion overlooking Yujing Terrace, to continue to fulfill her contract — one that she signed three thousand years ago with Rex Lapis.

Story 1

Ganyu is not the secretary of any one leader in the Liyue Qixing but is instead the general secretary for the entire organization. Under her gentle exterior, Ganyu is as persevering as stone itself. This was something that Rex Lapis, the leader of the adepti, noticed very early on. Thus when the Liyue Qixing first emerged ages ago, Ganyu was their secretary.

Through the years and the changes in the Qixing's roster, Ganyu has remained by their side as a constant. This has also meant the mountainous piles of paperwork from various departments and bureaus in Liyue have fallen upon Ganyu's shoulders. But though her workload has increased seven, a hundred, or even thousandfold, her sense of responsibility has never wavered. Someone once queried as to the source of her motivation and received an answer that was not quite congruous with the question.

"What I've done... is nothing compared to what Rex Lapis has accomplished."

Story 2

"I work for the well-being of all living things in Liyue."

Under almost all circumstances, Ganyu is a very trustworthy secretary. It is hard to imagine anyone outperforming her in the face of such an enormous workload, especially given her unique and penetrating insights into all of Liyue's matters.

Nevertheless, her reliability can only be guaranteed under "almost all circumstances." The more important the matter, the more Ganyu strives for perfection, and the more nervous she becomes. Under pressure, her nervousness does result in the occasional error.

One such incident occurred during the Rite of Descension, without doubt the most important annual event in Liyue's calendar.

Ganyu was three minutes late for the Rite and had to squeeze through the crowd in full view of all. Later on, with a face as red as a tomato, she stammered her way through an unconvincing explanation, all the while apologizing profusely to Rex Lapis in her heart. Her colleagues guessed that there must be some reason for the mistake. Those who did not know her well saw that Rex Lapis did not mind, and thus paid the incident no attention. Those closer to her worried in private, and asked if she needed a workload adjustment or a short vacation, but Ganyu refused.

"I spent two hours making sure that I wasn't wearing anything too similar to last year's Rite..."

Needless to say, Ganyu was not about to admit to this being the real reason for her tardiness!

Story 3

How long is a thousand years?

Long enough for the Glaze Lilies that once teemed throughout Dihua Marsh to be wiped out by floodwaters, and long enough for the thriving settlement that sprung up upon Guili Plains to come to ruin in war.

How short is a thousand years? To Ganyu, it has felt shorter than the blink of an eye. Throughout a passage of time unimaginable to mortals, Ganyu has been working on all manner of things at Yujing Terrace.

She recorded the raising and demolishing of every building, and witnessed the rise to prosperity of every industry. Ganyu's sense of objectivity towards the passage of time comes from the endless reams of data she must trawl through, and from the ever-increasing number of colors she finds that she needs to categorize it all.

All this time, her mindset has never changed — she constantly wavers between her human and adeptus halves.

On one hand, Ganyu the qilin finds it difficult to comprehend mortal squabbles. But on the other hand, her human blood reminds her always to hold out hope that she might someday be able to fit in.

Story 4

Outside the confines of her work, Ganyu very quickly shows how different she is from most other people.

She has a habit of taking afternoon naps and has a shockingly accurate internal clock. When lunch hour arrives, no matter where she is, she will simply curl up into a ball and fall asleep on the spot. Even the raucous dancing of hilichurls will fail to wake her.

These habits were at first just a running joke within the Liyue Qixing.

But once, after accompanying the then-Tianxuan to lunch outside the city, a well-fed Ganyu simply crawled into the nearest roadside haystack. She ended up being transported all the way to Dihua Marsh, awakening only after bumping her head during the unloading. Unable to find Ganyu anywhere over the subsequent three hours, and knowing that she would not depart unannounced, the Tianxuan almost filed a missing person report.

After receiving a stern admonishment to "only take afternoon naps where it's safe," Ganyu retorted: "Well... isn't everywhere in Liyue safe?"

Perhaps, with the mixture of human and illuminated beast blood flowing through her veins, Ganyu's understanding of the world's affairs is a little different to that of most humans.

Story 5

Ganyu's qilin heritage is little-known in Liyue Harbor. Whenever she is asked by someone walking along Feiyun Slope as to the obvious protrusions in her hair, she says that they are ornamental heirlooms.

"If I told them the truth, they would distance themselves from me..."

Despite never having been on particularly close terms with Liyue's citizens in the first place, Ganyu would still not consider distancing to be a good thing. Her more important reason for hiding the truth is to prevent curious onlookers from touching her qilin horns.

After all, a qilin's horns are a sensitive part of their body, both physically and mentally speaking.

Another secret that Ganyu is anxious to keep hidden is the fact that she is watching her physique.

The qilin are strict vegetarians, but Liyue is a veritable powerhouse of gastronomical delights, one in which even vegetarians struggle to control their appetites.

Ganyu, who has grown accustomed to city life, is thus very vigilant in matters concerning her weight and physique.

Whenever she finds herself being drawn towards some delicious dish, she will attempt to reassert her self-control. For Ganyu, the difficulty of such a challenge is second only to finding a Flaming Flower atop Dragonspine.

But she is not one to give up half-way through the ascent. During the Archon War, she once choked a giant monster to death with ease after getting lodged in its throat when it tried to eat her, said monster having fatally underestimated quite how wide her waistline was.

For Ganyu, avoiding any similarly embarrassing episodes in the future is an absolute must.

The Flora of Yujing Terrace

Handwritten notes detail the morphological features and behaviors of the plants in Yujing Terrace, with each beautiful stroke penned by Ganyu's own hand.

The notes are succinct, comprehensive, and well-categorized, and even offer some insights that one would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere on the market. These include pointers on caring for Glaze Lilies and methods for grafting Silk Flowers. In readability and scientific accessibility, they come close to the standard of official publications.

Or rather, this is the experience if one starts reading from the front. Skip near to the end, however, and one may well be left dumbfounded.

The final few pages are a shocking rash of black ink and frantically scribbled-out text. Reading patiently and painstakingly between the lines, one might discover that these notes were, at one time, various methods for vegetable cultivation.

"But if I learn to grow vegetables, I'll be even less able to control my appetite."

Her hands balling into fists, it was with much difficulty that Ganyu erased the results of her research. Later, whilst watering the plants on an empty stomach, Ganyu found herself plunging her head into a thicket of Silk Flowers, fantasizing that they were Sweet Flowers in an effort to comfort herself. Many more fantasy Sweet Flowers followed shortly afterward during her afternoon nap...

Vision

Qilin are paragons of benevolence among the adepti, drinking only springwater and eating only whole grain.

Flies they will not hurt, and a bruised reed they will not break. They do not travel in groups, and no trap will hold them. They are leisurely yet composed, active but reserved — a gentle and elegant race.

Yet when a wicked beast from the sea arose and threatened the land beneath their feet, they did not stand idle or choose peace when there was none.

Three thousand years ago, Ganyu answered the call of Morax the God of Geo, aiding him in the Archon Wars.

And when the war was over, she chose to stay in Liyue and help the humans build a new polity there.

The first Liyue Qixing would need support, and she took this task up as a matter of course, becoming their secretary.

The moment she made that decision, a Vision appeared at her hip, granting her power to resonate with the world to a degree beyond her natural abilities.

Whether she would grow strong enough to no longer need it, or whether she would use it as a last resort in Liyue's defense...

Regardless, she chose to serve as the bridge between adepti and humans. Her Vision, then, was proof and witness of her new duty.

Namecard

Ganyu: Qilin
	Obtain: Reward for reaching Friendship Level 10 with Ganyu Description: Do no harm to plant nor insect.

Quests and Events

Archon Quests

• Chapter I
  • Act II: Farewell, the Archaic Lord
    • Zhongli's Treat
  • Act III: A New Star Approaches
    • Solitary Fragrance
    • Turning Point
    • The Fond Farewell
  • Act IV: We Will Be Reunited
    • Involuntary Sacrifice

Story Quests

• Sinae Unicornis Chapter (Ganyu's story)
  • Act I: Sea of Clouds, Sea of People
    • All parts

Events

• Moonlight Merriment
  • One for the Foodies, Two for the Show
  • Three to Get Ready, and Here We Go (cinematic)

Web Events

• Side by Side We Venture
• An Unforgettable Journey

Character Interactions

The following characters mention Ganyu in their character stories or voice lines.

Character	Stories	Voices
Beidou	✘	✔
Keqing	✘	✔
Ningguang	✘	✔
Xiangling	✘	✔
Xiao	✘	✔
Yanfei	✘	✔
Zhongli	✘	✔

Template:Mention

Mail

Ganyu has not sent any Mail.

Trivia

In-game

• In the Chinese translation of her story quest, Uncle Tian refers to her as "big sister Ganyu" citing it a childhood name, despite looking much more advanced in age, which showcases how much Ganyu has remained unchanged over the years.
• According to Xiangling, Ganyu is vegetarian with a surprisingly large appetite — Xiangling and Chef Mao give her an extra-large portion of food on the occasions she eats at Wanmin Restaurant, but she always manages to finish it.
  • According to Yaoyao's message on the Wangshu Inn Bulletin Board, Ganyu has a sensitive stomach and cannot handle spicy food.
• Ganyu leaves her own message on the Wangshu Inn Bulletin Board, albeit anonymously.
• Cloud Retainer said that when Ganyu was young, she loved it when her horns were caressed.
• Looking at her character for a period of time causes her to blush.
• Ganyu's Chinese voice actress (林簌) is one of the directors of Genshin Impact's Chinese voice actors. She is also the Chinese voice actress of Jean.
• Judging by Ganyu's voiceline "About us: Request", it might be hinting that Ganyu acknowledges that the Traveler is not from Teyvat.
• There are contradictions regarding when Ganyu signed her contract with Rex Lapis:
  • Ganyu tells the Traveler she signed her contract with Rex Lapis shortly after the Archon War ended around two thousand years ago.
  • Her character profile states she signed the contract three thousand years ago, during the Archon War.
  • Zhongli says Ganyu has served the longest of those who honor a contract with Rex Lapis. However, there are other adepti whose contracts pre-date the two times given for Ganyu's:
    • Rex Lapis founded Liyue Harbor and signed the first contracts to defend it with the adepti 3,700 years ago, after relocating the people from the destroyed Guili Assembly. Cloud Retainer, Moon Carver, Mountain Shaper, and a qilin, who may be Ganyu herself or another individual, were among those who made that journey.
• Ganyu gets along well with Beidou, but the captain's poor standing with the Qixing means that she usually keeps it a secret, lest she put her in a negative light. Ganyu views Beidou positively, even breaking character when hearing bad rumors about Beidou, knowing that she is not who they perceive her as.
• She has trouble working with Keqing due to her controversial comments about Morax.

Etymology

• Ganyu's name is likely a reference to Ganlu (Chinese: 甘露; zh_tn: Sweet Dew), or Amrita in Sanskrit, a term to describe holy frozen mist in Hinduist-Buddhist legends in South, East, and Southeast Asia. It is said to give immortality or sacred power to those who drink it (roughly equivalent to nectar and ambrosia in the Greek mythology).
• Her Constellation, "Sinae Unicornis," is Latin for "Chinese Unicorn," another western name/descriptor for the Qilin.
• In her voiceline Feelings About Ascension: Conclusion, Ganyu mentions a quote from an ancient text saying "Only when days be darker than the darkest night, may a qilin be compelled to fight." In the Chinese version, the corresponding quotation is "麟斗则日无光," which translates to "The term líndǒu (lit. the battle of a female qilin) refers to no light in the sun (that is, eclipse)." The text is from a Chinese esoteric book called Kǒngyǎntú (Chinese: 孔演图) (also known as Chūnqiū-Yǎnkǒngtú (Chinese: 春秋演孔图)) written during the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD).