SID Timeline

[rheasilvia]

From what I can tell, Guardian approaches time the same way epic poetry does - that is, it almost always seems to be measured in numbers more notable for dramatic value than likelihood (ten thousand years! a thousand years! ten years! NOW!).

Even so, I've put together a timeline of the Special Investigation Department's history. Please be aware that it contains spoilers for the entire series.



BGS – Before Guardian Series
ABS – After Beginning of Series
? – date uncertain; estimated based on corroborating evidence


SID Timeline


10,000-9,920 BGS*
- Ma Gui becomes first Guardian of Haixing in spirit (ep 38) through peace treaty ratified by Ma Gui, Fu You and Nameless Dixingian Second-in-Command (ep 35)
* Note: Ma Gui is Zhang Shi's teacher, so 9,920 BGS (or later) is probably more accurate, given human lifespans.

9,900 BGS
- Zhang Shi born; remains on Haixing as only Dixingian after others leave (ep 38)

? 40-30 BGS*
- Hallows are lost; more and more Dixingians escape to Haixing because of resulting lack of ressources (ep 35)
- Haixing’s Supervisory Department allows Dixing’s rulers to send people to Haixing to find out what’s happening (ep 35)
- Black-Cloaked Envoy is found in Haixing by Dixingian envoy Dingdun (ep 35)**
* Note: In ep 36, Zhang Shi says the Hallows were lost 10 years ago, but this doesn’t match up with the rest of the timeline. Also, in ep 2 Shen Wei says the Hallows were scattered 10,000 years ago, which doesn't match the rest of the timeline unless "scattered" is not synonymous with "lost" here.
** Note: The Black-Cloaked Envoy is awake to send an expedition to Haixing around 30 BGS or earlier (ep 5).

? 40-30 BGS
- Black-Cloaked Envoy expresses wish to go to Haixing; Justiciar asks Haixing contacts for cover identity (ep 35)

20 BGS
- Rumors of new department being planned to deal with Dixingians reach cops Zhao Xinci and Gao Jingfeng (ep 31)
- Zhao Xinci possessed by Zhang Shi; begins to rise rapidly through the ranks (ep 31)

? 19-18 BGS
- SID established at 4 Guangming Road under authority of Department of Supervision; purpose: arrest criminal Dixingians in Haixing (ep 13)
- Zhao Xinci becomes first chief of the SID (ep 31)

10 BGS
- Homeless man (?) Li Hongchun hits Da Qing with a stick (ep 27)

? 10-9 BGS
- Da Qing joins SID under Chief Zhao Xinci (ep 27)

? 9-8 BGS
- Li Hongchun joins SID as custodian (ep 27)

? 8-5 BGS
- Zhao Xinci promoted out of SID, new position unknown (ep 16)*
- Unknown Chief becomes second chief of the SID (ep 16)*
* Note: Zhao Yunlan is termed the „third-generation Chief of the SID“ in ep 16.

3 BGS
- Zhao Yunlan becomes third chief of the SID (ep 34)

3 BGS
- Lin Jing joins SID as Professor Ouyang’s spy (ep 30)

3 BGS
- Chu Shuzhi transferred to SID by Black-Cloaked Envoy (eps 18 / 32)

? 3-2 BGS
- Wang Zheng found by Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing; joins SID

? 3-2 BGS
- Zhu Hong joins SID

? 2-0 months BGS
- Zhao Xinci promoted again to Head of the Xingdu Bureau (ep 14)*
* Note: This presumably takes place no more than a few weeks before ep 14, since at that point Zhao Yunlan has not yet been informed of a personnel change that concerns an important superior.

? 2-0 months BGS
- Dixingians „suddenly“ appear on Haixing with increased frequency (Da Qing in ep 1 / Shen Wei in ep 2)


0 (Guardian Series Begins)


0 ABS
- Guo Changcheng assigned to SID by Zhang Shi posing as Zhao Xinci (ep 16)

0 ABS
- Black-Cloaked Envoy meets Chief Zhao Yunlan and contacts Ex-Chief Zhao Xinci for information on him (eps 1 / 27)

?? ABS
- Sang Zan joins SID as librarian (ep 11)

?? ABS
- Professor Shen Wei becomes official consultant of the SID (ep 14)

?? ABS
- Zhang Shi becomes de facto chief of the SID (ep 40)

+1 / ?? ABS
- SID is considerably expanded and highly respected
- Guo Ying is Minister
- Zhao Xinci is Director of the Xingdu Bureau*
- Li Qian is Science Institute Director
* Note: Zhao Xinci has been promoted again, so Director of the Xingdu Bureau is a higher position than Head of the Xingdu Bureau.



If you have any additions or I got something wrong, please let me know! I'd be very grateful for input on how much time passes between the SID-relevant events of the series itself, for one thing.

Alternately, tell me about your SID feels! :-)

Comments

[rheasilvia]

Oooh, your timeline is awesome! So much useful information. *bookmarks* <3

In episode 5 with Butler Wu and his son, we're told that it's been 20 years since they've seen each other and his son was maybe around 8 when he was first abandoned and left for dead by Huang Chaoyang. I would guess that a few years passed between Butler Wu surviving whatever killed the rest of his expedition and him having a son, so it's probably been over 30 years since Black Cloaked Envoy's woken up

This is a very good point. I will up the time period on the loss of the Hallows and the BCE's awakening - I completely forgot that there was a mention of how long the butler and his son hadn't seen each other! And 30+ years does fit in better with some related facts about Shen Wei, IMO. This is very helpful, thank you!

This particular timeline tracks only the history of the SID, but your data with the earlier events might make another timeline post to the comm - maybe specifically for the early history of Dixingians and the war?

I'm chalking this one up to a mistake on the writer's part or a drastic change in plot later in the series, but in episode 2, Shen Wei thinks to himself that he's been searching for Zhao Yunlan for 10,000 years.

I think it's poetic license on Shen Wei's part. ;-) As in, it's true in spirit: Shen Wei might have been asleep during a large chunk of those 10k years, but it *has* been 10k years, and Shen Wei has been searching for Zhao Yunlan every second since losing him, *so*... ;-)

[likealeafonthewind]

your data with the earlier events might make another timeline post to the comm - maybe specifically for the early history of Dixingians and the war?

Oh, okay, cool. I can go ahead and post it to the comm then.

As in, it's true in spirit: Shen Wei might have been asleep during a large chunk of those 10k years, but it *has* been 10k years, and Shen Wei has been searching for Zhao Yunlan every second since losing him, *so*... ;-)

Lmao, yeah, my headcanon is that Shen Wei's just being a little dramatic about it.

[rheasilvia]

I think Shen Wei has earned the right to be a little dramatic! And if every year of waiting for Zhao Yunlan *felt* like 250 years, which I'm sure it did, he's got it about right. ;-)

[likealeafonthewind]

True! Plus, he was probably stressing over where to even look for him and worrying about missing him entirely and never finding him.

[sam_gardener]

He was searching for him in in all the books and records from the past 10,000 years! That counts right?

[rheasilvia]

It totally does! All the worrying and research and subjective time - it adds up to considerably more than 10k years, if you think about it.

[sam_gardener]

I've searched for you for 10,000 years  我找了你一万年 

I couldn't resist looking up the Chinese subs even though I mistrust my ability to interpret the information. And it turns out although the first listing in dictionaries for 万 is 10,000 it can also mean numerous, myriad, many, all. Which does call the whole 10,000 years thing into question.

[rheasilvia]

That makes sense! And it also means the war was probably actually closer to 9,900 years ago, because otherwise Ma Gui would have had to be ancient to become Zhang Shi's teacher.

I'm pretty sure 9,900 years is not used in a metaphorical way. ;-)

Will change that, thank you for pointing it out!