ESL One Bangkok: Who Are Gaozu?

ESL One Bangkok may still be a few weeks away, but it’s never a bad idea to get to know the teams in advance.

One squad in particular stands out among the rest in the field: Gaozu. Similar to Yakult’s Brothers at BetBoom Dacha Belgrade, this roster is barely recognizable by name — but closer inspection reveals some familiar faces.

In fact, the entire lineup is star-studded, featuring some of the most accomplished players in this current generation of Chinese Dota 2. The team’s unassuming name definitely belies the kind of talent that plays under its banner, which means that rivals at ESL One Bangkok will have to prepare for them just as much as any other opponent out there.

Who’s in the Gaozu Roster?

The full Gaozu lineup is as follows, in order of positions 1 through 5:

• Wang “Ame” Chunyu
• Zhang “Paparazi灬” Chengjun (also known as “Eurus”)
• Thiay “JT-” Jun Wen
• Zhao “XinQ” Zixing
• Ding “Dy” Cong

So it’s clear right off the bat that majority of the roster is just composed of the most recent Xtreme Gaming (XG) lineup, with the exception of JT- who last played for G2 x iG. XG was last seen at DreamLeague Season 24, where they finished 7th after making it into the second group stage.

It seemed like finishing below the top 6 was enough for Ame and the rest of the crew to peace out from the organization, which then allowed them to form Gaozu. XinQ is actually still signed to XG right now, but his placement on the inactive list permits him to play under a different team name.

What Does Their Team Name Mean?

A cursory Google search reveals that “Gaozu” may very likely be a direct reference to Emperor Gaozu of Han (漢高祖), the first and founding emperor of the Han dynasty. He reigned from 202 to 195 BC, and was responsible for unifying ancient China. He also promoted Confucianism as a way of life for the Chinese people, which is still very much ingrained in their culture and that of East Asia to this day.

The Military Tales of Han and Chu: Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, by Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni Ⅲ), ca. 1830#ukiyoe pic.twitter.com/dsZKHESq0i

— Masterpieces of Japan (@JapanTraCul) January 22, 2023

Under his rule, China entered the Pax Sinica, a period of peace, stability, and prosperity that is considered by historians to be one of the country’s longest “golden ages”. It’s possible that the team is named after Emperor Gaozu as a symbol of strength, power, and confidence, rooted firmly within their history.

Now, whether they’ll live up to their name at ESL One Bangkok is anyone’s guess right now. Their performance at DreamLeague left a bit to be desired, after all. We’ll have to see how Gaozu fare when the tournament starts on December 9th.