Real-life has been literature for a very long time. From movie characters to classic novels and video games, some fairy tale characters have come to the fore in this world. As many of us are related, these people not only influenced every generation but also united people. They also teach us to see the world differently through their stories.
What makes a good character? In many cases, that is how we can understand and relate to them. Here is a list of 10 characters of Chinese legends that are famous with a special place in the renowned culture and our hearts.
1. PO (Kung Fu Panda)
Master Po Ping (known as Po and originally named Lotus) is the protagonist of the Kung Fu Panda franchise. Mr Ping adopted him. He is also the legendary Hero of Legend and a master of Panda Style kung fu. Originally born on a farm to his biological parents, Po separated from his family due to the massacre instigated by Lord Shen. Eventually, Mr Ping found him, who took him, hoping Po would inherit the noodle family store one day. However, Po was attracted to kung fu, and his unwavering zeal led to his being selected as Dragon, after which he began training under Master Shifu. Although strange and unwelcome at first, Po persevered and achieved the destiny of the Dragon Hero by defeating Tai Lung and seeing the Dragon Scroll, proving himself a hero to everyone, including himself.
2. Monkey King
The Monkey King, known as Sun Wukong in Mandarin Chinese, is a well-known mythological character who is one of the main characters in the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. Sun Wukong is a stone-born monkey who gains supernatural powers through Taoism on a voyage to the West. After his rebellion in heaven, he got imprisoned under a mountain Buddha. Five hundred years later, he joins the nun Tangang Sanzang and two other disciples on a journey back to the Buddhists from the West (the Indian subcontinent), where the Buddha and his followers live. Sun Wukong has many talents. He has incredible strength and can support the weight of two mountain peaks on his shoulders while running at "meteor speed." He is speedy and can travel 54,000 km, (approx. 34,000 miles). Sun Wukong also acquired 72 Earthly Transformations, which allows it to achieve 72 unique powers, including the ability to transform animals and various objects. He is a talented warrior, able to defeat the best of the best in heaven. His hair has magical properties, from which he can make his clones or turning them into various weapons, animals, and other objects. He also demonstrates partial weather forecasting skills and can stop people in the area by correcting magic.
3. Mulan
Fa Mulan is the main character in the 1998 Disney film the cartoon feature Mulan. She is a determined and strong daughter of a military veteran who strives to honour her family. When her father calls back to the army to defend China from Shan Yu, Mulan chooses to protect him by taking his place under the guise of a male soldier named Ping. Although Mulan has no magical or superhuman powers, he has military training from Shang.
- Martial Arts: As part of his training, Mulan learned kung fu and eventually became a master of hand-to-hand combat.
- Sword Jewellery: Mulan sharpened his skill with his father's sword and became a master of the blade, holding himself quickly against Shan Yu, who was already strong in battle.
- Art: Under Shang training, Mulan developed a skill with various weapons, from bows and arrows to cannons.
- Horse riding: Even before his time in the army, Mulan is a professional horseman, further enhanced by his relationship with the loyal horse Khan.
- Trickster: Mulan is also clever, cunning, and wise, as shown a few times, such as when he starts to climb a pole and retrieve an arrow mounted successfully during training. Knowing that his army was too large, he could think quickly, using the last shot to cause an explosion of the entire Hun army, actually blocking the cold, and later attracted Shan Yu to Mushu's shooting area. He said that he pretended to be scared when he took out his follower because he had nothing to fight with, and he always planned to kill him with it.
4. Shang Chi
Shang Chi is one of the most incredible martial arts on Earth, having been trained since birth to become a great warrior. He defeated many of the most talented opponents and influential people. His great strength and chi (qi) allow him to strike with the impersonal force that will enable him to break through barriers such as brick, concrete, and metal, withstand physical impacts almost to a higher level, and alleviate all forms of pain and discomfort. Shang stopped Iron Fist in one battle, and two military artists and Black Panther said Shang-Chi was better than Rand. Shang has intensively trained his body to have the highest strength, speed, stamina, and endurance that a person can have without artificial enhancement. These include speed and endurance with even strenuous exercise, a quick response to avoid a gunshot wound, and even the holding of weapons thrown at him by the enemy.
5. Aang (The Last Airbender)
Aang was an Air Nomad man born 12 BG and Avatar during the Millennium, following Avatar Roku and preceded Avatar Korra. He was the one who was capable of using all four bending techniques: bending the air, bending the water, bending the Earth, and bending the fire. He was one of the first in many cycles to learn the ancient art of bending the force, and the first Avatar is known to have actively used this technique. Just before the start of the Hundred Years' War, Aang had climbed the ice for a hundred years; later emerged, at the age of twelve biologically, in a war-torn country. In his absence, the Fire Nation was at war with other nations and was able to eradicate the pacifistic Air Nomads. It fell to Aang, the Avatar, and The Last Airbender, ending the war by controlling three other elements and defeating the Fire Lord Ozai. He remained a kind and gentle child throughout his year-long struggle, despite the terrible loss of his people and the heavy loads bore by him. After winning the King of Phoenix, Aang began a loving relationship with his close friend, Katara. The couple eventually married and raised a family of three children: Bumi, an older, less conservative person who became an Airbender later in life; Kya, a water-bender; and a smaller one, Tenzin, an Airbender.
6. IP Man
Many people have never heard of the name "Ip Man." But many people have heard of "Bruce Lee" or the martial arts "Wing Chun." Ip Man was a masterpiece of Wing Chun art that taught many other artists, such as Bruce Lee. Ip Kai Man (1893-1972) was a Wing Chun physician born in Foshan, China. He became the first king to teach Wing Chun freely. He spread Wing Chun around the world. His most famous students are Bruce Lee, Kwok Fu, and his sons, Ip Ching and Ip Chun. He learned Wing Chun from the great king Leung Bik. He then became a police officer in Foshan at 24, married, and had two children. After the Japanese invasion, he left Foshan and moved to Hong Kong with his family in 1962. He then opened the Wing Chun karate school in Hong Kong. He began teaching Bruce Lee in 1954. In 1972, He recorded his videos making the Wing Chun genre on the verge of death. Then he died that same year. Ip Man is a hero because he is persistent, humble, and encouraging. He also broadcast Wing Chun around the world. He was respected for his qualities and was very successful. I feel like a hero needs to be respected and needs a lot of achievement. Ip Man fulfils both of these aspects. Ip Man has always been the most humble man in his life. He never spoke ill of anyone, and he never boasted about his ability. He was proud and humble, making him an honorable king, a fine example, and a hero. Overall, Ip Man is a hero because of his great success in spreading Wing Chun and his qualities as a person. He was a persistent and humble man, venerable grandmother, and hero. Ip Man is an inspiration because of the legacy he left.
7. Shang Tsung
A powerful, deadly, and vicious witch of the Mortal Kombat Franchise, Shang Tsung is a reformer who needs to eat souls to support his health and well-being. In the Mortal Kombat series, he is an example of cunning and contempt, as symbolized by his love of luxurious parties, grand palaces, and stylish clothes. Unlike the crude Shao Kahn, this explosive is a precursor which hides Shang Tsung's proper brain and mind technology. His main enemy is Liu Kang, but many others have hated him throughout his unnatural life, including Kung Lao and Kenshi. Shang Tsung's loyalty to Shao Kahn has given him the status of a free wandering witch. Therefore, he can move about without being seen by the Old Gods or local deities, a skill that has given him ample opportunity to commit atrocities over the centuries. Only Delia, Shinnok, Shao Kahn, and Quan Chi can match Shang Tsung's abilities as a witch.
8. Mandarin
Xu Wenwu (Mandarin: 徐文武) was a mythical figure who became powerful after discovering a collection of legendary rings and founded an army known as the Ten Rings. Wenwu made himself a powerful warlord who conquered empires for over a thousand years, the power of the rings giving him immortality. To this day, Wenwu continues to search for control, discovering the ancient city of Ta Lo. He fell for Ta Lo's gatekeeper, Ying Li, and fathered Xu Shang-Chi and Xu Xiang. Wenwu eventually returned his rings when Iron Gang died despite vowing violence to raise his family. He trained Shang-Chi to become a murderer in retaliation for his wife's murder. However, two of Wenwu's two children were afraid of their father and eventually abandoned him. In the 21st century, Wenwu discovered that Aldrich Killian had hired Trevor Slattery to impersonate Wenwu, giving him a Mandarin moniker and using the Ten Rings legend. Annoyed by Slattery's remarks, Wenwu said he had been abducted and sentenced to prison for defamation. Eventually, Wenwu would begin to hear his late wife's voice, begging her to release him from detention in Ta Lo. Wenwu wanted his children to help him, but only Shang-Chi and Xu Xialing refused his request and stood with Ying Nan to stop his army. To rescue his wife, Wenwu released Dweller-in-Darkness unintentionally. Wenwu sacrificed himself to protect Shang-Chi, and he dropped the Ten Rings on her before the Resident took her soul out of Wenwu's body and killed her.
9. Sub-Zero
Kuai Liang (奎 良), better known as Sub-Zero (絶 対 零度, "Absolute Zero"), Grandmaster (of Lin Kuei), once known as Tundra and briefly as cyborg LK-52O, is the Grand Lin Kuei assassin clan in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. Kuai Liang made his first non-playing game in Mortal Kombat II as Bi-Han's younger brother, who was the original Sub-Zero in the first Mortal Kombat game. He takes on a Sub-Zero outfit in his later appearances in the series. Still, he reappears under his first Tundra title in Mortal Kombat (2011) before re-emerging under a Sub-Zero outfit. Kuai Liang will be a supporting character every time after his first game. He will later end a long feud between Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu after becoming Grandmaster and making peace with his rival Scorpion.
10. Chun (Big Fish & Begonia)
In a mysterious place beneath the human realm, infested with magical creatures, a girl named Chun takes part in a ritual traced to the water world for a red dolphin. You meet a young man who lives by the sea and respects marine life. During the storm, Chun gets caught in a fishing net near the boy's home, and the boy drowns as he unties the net. Chun returns to his world, accompanied by the boy's ocarina. Chun talks to Soul Keeper, a citizen of his homeland who collects good souls who are no longer in the human world, to bring the boy back to life. The Guardian of the Soul takes part of his life to give him the boy's soul, manifested in this world in the form of a baby dolphin. He advises her to raise dolphins until she is old enough to bring the boy's soul back to the human world.
