[Tingyun cosplay] Winter Scene at Beijing's Temple of Heaven with Fugue from Honkai: Star Rail

For this custom Tingyun cosplay (Fugue Cosplay) at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, I mainly wanted to try combining modern Chinese style with a fox-type character. The outdoor location was set for a Temple of Heaven photoshoot. The massive dome architecture and blue sky perfectly matched the character's color tone. It was very windy on the day of the shoot; the fluffy large pink tail was blown around, requiring constant position adjustments, which actually brought some dynamic changes to the candid shots.

I put a lot of thought into selecting materials for this outfit beforehand. For the clothes, I chose a black woolen coat paired with metal buckles and gray plush cuffs, combining warmth and texture. The lower half is a pleated skirt with a red base and gold patterns; this color scheme greatly echoes the character's traits. I had been worried about the texture of the large tail and beast ears, so I specifically sought out highly realistic faux fur for handmade production. The layered texture of the fur shining under the sunlight in the final product was quite satisfying.

For makeup, I deliberately enhanced the red tones of the eye makeup, using red eyeshadow to echo the red tips of the wig. I chose a natural rosy lip color. The overall makeup and styling aimed to highlight that agile Fox-tailed beast girl trait. The wig was also trimmed, transitioning from a dark brown top to red ends, so when the wind blows, the movement of the hair and tail would be more unified.

When doing a Temple of Heaven photoshoot in front of such ancient architecture, composition is the most important thing to note. To avoid tourists and find clean camera angles, we kept switching perspectives between the square in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests and the white marble railings. The photographer used a large aperture to blur the buildings in the background, which retained the structural colors of the Temple of Heaven while completely focusing the frame on the subject. The pose in Photo 1 is a sideways stance with the left hand slightly extended. Paired with a direct gaze into the lens, the posture is relatively relaxed and natural, and this pose also maximizes the display of the huge tail.

Photo 2 captures a moment of looking back, with the wind blowing the hair to one side, creating a strong sense of motion, and the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the background blurred just right. Actually, during the shoot, my hair was blown into a huge mess, constantly tangling in the wind, and we had to stop frequently to comb it. The weight of the tail was also an issue; my center of gravity easily became unstable while walking, requiring constant adjustments to my body posture to maintain balance. Although there were some minor hiccups during the process, the overall final photos are very satisfying.

The material of this costume is relatively stiff with a good drape. Combined with thick inner wear, it's perfect for December's weather in Beijing. The blue sky at the Temple of Heaven is extremely pure, and the red and black clothes create a strong visual impact against it. Choosing this red-and-black gradient hair color to match the large pink tail was aimed at neutralizing warm and cool tones, forming a harmonious color transition.

When portraying the identity in this Fugue Cosplay, one needs to capture a feeling of being mysterious yet approachable. Although this is a custom design, I still wanted to do my best to restore the character's core personality. Aside from the slight lift in Photo 1, I tried various angles with my hand movements between shots, striving to find the state that best expressed the character's ethereal aura. The shoot lasted until the light dimmed in the afternoon. The lighting during that time was very soft, hitting the facial contours to show excellent skin texture.

The entire outdoor shoot, from makeup to photography, lasted about ten hours. Shooting all the way from the entrance of the Temple of Heaven to the square in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests left the soles of my feet quite tired. The architectural colors of the Temple of Heaven are mainly blue, red, and gold, which match perfectly with the character's red, black, and gold color scheme. This made post-production color grading much easier; requiring almost no alterations, the straight-out-of-camera colors were already very rich. During the shoot, white marble railings were used as a foreground to make the frame's layers more distinct while naturally dividing the relationship between the background architecture and the subject.

Doing this cosplay was actually to express my love for Tingyun and the Fugue identity in Honkai: Star Rail. Using a location like the Temple of Heaven, which combines historical weight and traditional Chinese aesthetics, as the background creates a unique contrast with the custom Fox-tailed beast girl image. Although passersby cast curious glances and children even gathered around because the tail was so big during the shoot, this interaction and attention precisely added to the fun of outdoor photography.

Overall, from the preparation stage to the on-site shoot, every aspect was executed as closely to the expected concept as possible. Whether it was the fit of the costume, the styling of the wig, or the outdoor lighting setup, a balance was found. This photoset also serves as a record of my cosplay performance style. There were many uncertain factors regarding wind and lighting at the Temple of Heaven, so managing to capture this set of photos basically achieved the expected goal. I also want to thank the photographer for capturing the light and coming up with compositional ideas.

When organizing the final photos and seeing the dynamic feel in Photo 1 and Photo 2, I still feel that this shooting experience was well worth it. Although outdoor shoots always encounter various unknown situations, such as the tail being blown askew by the wind, hair tangling, or having to wait for passersby to leave the frame, successfully blending the character and the scene in the end is a rewarding harvest. The focus of this creative process was the echo between the character's traits and the architectural environment. Through this set of photos, I also wanted to share some of my thoughts on combining ancient style with modern fantasy.

Choosing to do an outdoor shoot at the Temple of Heaven in winter, I originally worried the cold weather would affect my performance, but the sunlight that day was actually excellent. The sky showed a clean blue, making the buildings' colors more vibrant. During the shoot, light changes greatly impacted the frames; we mainly utilized the light around 3 PM, where side backlighting formed a beautiful rim light on the fur edges, enhancing the 3D feel of the whole character. The buckles and metal accessories on the costume reflected faint light under natural sunlight, avoiding the dullness that pure black clothes might bring. The gold textures on the red skirt were also clearer under the reflected light from the ground.

It was precisely because of this hairstyle and tail setup that the shoot faced many restrictions. For example, I couldn't turn my head casually like usual; I had to turn my neck slowly to prevent earrings from slipping, and when shooting from low angles, the skirt hem's position needed manual adjustments. But this is exactly the charm of cosplay; overcoming these limitations to restore the character is an experience in itself. Additionally, shooting in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests heavily tested the photographer's candid shooting skills. Because the wind was strong, facial expression management had to be extremely focused; relaxing even slightly could result in unnatural expressions. Luckily, the photographer caught a few great moments. The gaze and eye contact in Photo 1 and the look back in Photo 2 quite accurately presented the character's proper radiance.

Many people might think outdoor cosplay in winter is very cold, but the black woolen coat and plush collar chosen this time could completely withstand the severe cold. During breaks, simply putting on a hat or the coat's hood kept me very warm. The overall shooting process went rather smoothly, and the prepared items were just enough. This was also my first time leaving a cosplay footprint in front of the main hall of the Temple of Heaven. I hope it can provide some reference or inspiration for other friends who want to create in front of ancient architecture. Visually speaking, placing fluffy Fox-tailed beast girl elements in front of antique architecture creates an appealing contrast, and I am quite satisfied with this style.