Guild Wars 2

Hi guys, I am new to GW2. I would like to say that its been awesome and I really enjoyed exploring the game. I used to play some GW1 way back and remembered Cantha and would be interested in seeing it again. I say this as an ethnic Chinese person (who is not born in China however). I think the reason that the Chinese and Korean market had a bad reception to the Cantha district in Divinity Reach wasn’t that they mixed Chinese and Korean architecture as seem to be understood in this forum. (The fact is Korean architecture is heavily influenced by China’s thousand of years imperial domination. – I say this without being chauvinistic, just as Western architecture is very much derived/ influenced from its Greco-Roman root through the Roman Empire.) Even a Chinese person would have difficulty in telling that a temple complex is Korean based on first glance. In addition having travel somewhat extensively in China, there are variations and distinctive differences in architecture in different regions of China. (For example, northern Chinese architecture is often more grand in scope, while the south is often more ornate, in addition to many localized styles in different region. You will even see a blend of Chinese and Tibetan architecture in the far west or in Beijing due to a history of conquest/ cultural exchange.

The problem with the negative reaction with the Cantha district was the fact that the original area appears as an East Asian “ghetto” towered over by Europeans walls and castle spires. The perceived problem was that the original district was a mix of European and East Asian architecture that did not fit the overall European theme. Not only is there a clash of style, there is an uncomfortable subtle real world implications that the Asians are being dominated by Europeans. (Regardless of actual in game lore.) This will make many first time players from Asia feel negative about its presence. (But would be perfectly fine to have Cantha as an expansion, since its in a different area altogether.)

As such I certainly hope that the removal of Canthan elements from Divinity Reach/ Tyria was only a local one specific to Divinity’s Reach, and certainly hope to be in Cantha in the future GW2 expansion!