Qiaoying Vilage in Genshin Impact: Will this be the gateway to Fontaine?

The map in Genshin Impact may seem huge now, but there are many locations throughout the four nations released so far that developer HoYoverse has hinted at but are yet to be accessible to us players.

We've already looked at Dornman Port in Mondstadt and Apep's Resort in Sumeru as two new areas that are likely to be included in upcoming versions.

But there is another location in Liyue that has also been hinted at by characters and could also be a future expansion: Qiaoying Village.

So what's up in Qiaoying Village?

Liyue's tea village

Theorised to be located in the mysterious Chenyu Vale to the northwest of Liyue, an area referenced in the lore of the 'Echoes of an Offering' artifact set.

Qiaoying Village is known as its tea village and borders the nation of Fontaine. In the 'Marvelous Merchandise' event from May 2022, fan-favourite NPC Liben said that he made his way to Fontaine through Qiaoying Village, adding that it is the quickest way to get to Fontaine.

Qiaoying Village produces high-quality teas such as the Tianheng Bohea and the Qiaoying Floral Tea, made from the many tea trees that have been planted around the settlement. It is also known for its annual tea-serving ceremony, where its residents use the wilted petals of the mysterious Spiritscent Flowers to prepare floral tea for themselves and visiting tourists.

Due to the high-quality tea produced in Qiaoying Village, many playable characters and NPC's have gone to the village to partake of its signature drinks.

Foremost among the patrons of Qiaoying Village is none other than Rex Lapis himself, who we know better as Zhongli. During the 'Of Drink A-Dreaming' event back in March 2022, the mortal vessel of the Geo Archon talked at length about Qiaoying Village, telling the Traveler it is "well worthwhile the visit when you get the chance."

In 'The Exquisite Night Chimes' event from this year's Lantern Rite Festival, Zhongli also visited Qiaoying Village to collect tea seed and sesame oils at the request of Hu Tao.

Yelan is also fond of the products from Qiaoying Village, using Dipped Dew tea leaves cultivated there as an ingredient in her signature dish, 'Dew-Dipped Shrimp'.

Zhiqiong, the adventurer and cartographer NPC that featured prominently in 'The Chasm Delvers' and 'Valor's Afterglow' world quests, has also been to Qiaoying Village. In a conversation with the Traveler, she recounted a time when she was commissioned to map the terrain of Qiaoying Village for a construction project, though it was canceled soon after she finished mapping the area.

Zhiqiong also said the village smelled strongly of tea and that she met a particularly skilled tea maker that she refers to as 'the old man'. The 'Echoes of an Offering' artifact set lore mentions an adeptus called the 'Herblord', who seems to be responsible for the abundance of tea trees in Chenyu Vale and Qiaoying Village and may be the old man that Zhiqiong met.

When will Qiaoying Village be released?

The Traveler's journey through the seven nations of Teyvat usually has them progress through each nation in turn. However, after completing the Archon Quests in Inazuma, their way to Sumeru actually took them back to Liyue and through the Chasm.

We expect this to be the case once we're done with Sumeru and are directed to head towards Fontaine.

As said by Liben, Qiaoying Village is the quickest way to get to Fontaine, so the area will most likely be unlocked in the version just before version 4.0, when the nation of Hydro will be opened up to us.

This is similar to how the Chasm was unlocked in version 2.6 and a tunnel there that led to Sumeru was added in version 3.0.

We're currently in version 3.5, with version 3.6 coming out in early April. Genshin Impact version 2 lasted until version 2.8, so we can expect a similar number of versions in version 3 before version 4 is released.

With that, we can reasonably expect Qiaoying Village to come out in either version 3.7 or version 3.8 in the coming months.

Yan Ku is a full-time dog parent, part-time (gacha) gamer, and part-time writer.

If you like Genshin Impact and would like to know more about the game, the characters, the mechanics, and even the lore, check our our Genshin Impact page. From character builds and weapon recommendations, to the inner workings of the pity system, to an in-depth look into the story of the Genshin Impact universe, we've got you covered.

For more gaming news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooGamingSEA. Also follow us on Twitter, as well as our Gaming channel on YouTube, and check out Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia’s Facebook page!