Tang

*Note: Tang's full name, age, height, blood type, zodiac, etc. source.*

### Meaning

"唐" (*pinyin: táng*) refers to the older meaning "to exaggerate, to boast." "小龙" (*pinyin: xiǎo lóng*) literally means "little dragon"

## Personality

Since he has had the best schooling and is the only one among his friends who is educated, Tang brags about his knowledge to others. He claims that he knows everything, has seen everything, and has read everything. His intelligence cannot be questioned. Passionate about science, Tang sees himself as a modern enlightened thinker. He always has a scientific explanations (more or less complicated and roundabout) for the strange phenomenon they encounter during his adventures with Hua and Cheng.

Tang is fairly happy with himself. He is tall for his age, elegant, careful about his appearance and is very refined. However, Tang spontaneously places himself above the others. He is a very arrogant and vain teenage boy; he is lacking in modesty. Tang has a tendency to admire himself. He carefully chooses his poses and his attitudes, directing himself as if he were a theater hero. He is so concerned about finding the unforgettable sentence that he forgets about elementary safety precautions. Whether in front of the Shaolin monk soldiers or poor farmers of Henan, he always speaks of himself as a Mandarin's son, and reminds his friends and people around him about his prestigious ancestry. Tang is not very sensitive to the difficulties of the unfortunate. In fact, he cannot imagine what life in utter destitution might be like. However, he never hesitates to defend the poor and the weak and to risk his own life doing so. It is not by conviction, but more by vocation. He had been taught that the duty of the "people of the world" -- governors, judges, and soldiers -- is to protect the weak and the innocent. Therefore, he has made this his duty too. In popular superstitions, the dragon is the most noble and yet the proudest of all animals. This is perfect coincidence: the spirit of the dragon is Tang's magic aura. Tang gets particularly touched by the tributes, the thanks, the congratulations, and the triumph that others praise him for. He is passionate about panache, bravery, heroism, and the chivalry spirit, which redeems him in Sanzang's eyes and allows him to have some hope for progress in Tang.

Tang has vast ambitious for himself. He sees himself as a general commander of the Chinese army, the Prime Minister of the emperor, or the Secretary of Defense; definitely not a monk soldier for the rest of his life. He was obviously flattered by Sanzang's attention. His father is very proud of him, especially the fact that none of his ancestors had gone to Shaolin before him. He approaches his passage through the prestigious Shaolin school as a growth experience.

Tang has difficulties getting used to the spartan life in Shaolin. He has problems with exercises requiring strength and endurance; he hates sweating. He spends his time complaining, such as how the meals are deplorable, the hours are inhuman, and how he is not cut out for dormitory type of sleeping. He envies Hua who, girl's privileges, has her own individual cell. He also has the bad habit of correcting his professors; he questions their statements, makes remarks of the usefulness of an exercise, and sheds his light on what he deems to be crumbling old methods, provoking the wrath of his professors. This results in regular punishments, such as mandated floor-sweeping, doing the dishes, cleaning horse stalls, cleaning sewers, etc.
Aside from that, Tang is a very good student. He is skillful in not only handling weapons, but also willing to learn the disciplines that require thought, precision and concentration.

## Life Before Shaolin

Tang's father is the Mandarin Governor of the Henan Province. On his mother's side, he is issued from a long lineage of generals and judges who each have their place in the History of China. He has had the best schooling among his friends and his peers. He, however, masks a secret pain; the lack of motherly love. Tang's mother died the day he was born (mentioned in Episode 16: "The Ogres of Kaifeing"). Entrusted to the care of wet nurses and tutors as soon as he was born, the boy suffered from having neglected by his parents. His father, Kai Feng, never had the time to bond with him or to show affection, nor tried to create some kind of link between the two of them. Kai Feng merely encouraged him to be the best in all subjects, and strictly told him he must be worthy of his ancestors.

### ​Episode 1

He drops in on Hua eavesdropping on his father and Master Sanzang and scolds her for doing so implying that she was Sanzang's servant. Hua rebutted this by revealing that she was a student at Shaolin. Tang was at disbelief since girls weren't allowed at Shaolin. She proved her point by showing some moves and Tang did his just to prove that anyone can do it. Then the two engaged in a light duel in which they entangled each other and fell on the floor.

He was introduced to MasterSanzang and was invited to train at Shaolin. At first he was against the idea of being at Shaolin for it was for peasants and not for the governor's son. His father persuaded him to go reasoning that their family line had not had a Shaolin knight. Tang consents but tells his father that he would not stay at a monastery his whole life, arrogantly claiming that he has a far more glorious destiny awaiting him. His father gives him a sword that belonged to his ancestors to encourage him further.

## Life as a Shaolin Wuzang

   When they traveled back to Shaolin he argued with Hua over the library incident and claimed the belief of demons as moronic because he looked to science. As he was saying this, a stone damaged the left wheel of the wagon causing them to stop. Hua announced of a village nearby and he waited in a comfortable position on the wagon, pointing out to her that he would be needing a soft bed for his night's sleep.

He accompanied Master Sanzang in saving Hua and another guy who he was introduced to be Cheng. Before he engaged, he warns the Black Foxes that he was the son of the Governor of Henan. They laugh it off and Tang engages them with the others. He shows his technique by easily dodging attacks whilst tearing a certain Black Fox's clothes, embarrassing him, his weapon falls on him as he was covering himself, rendering him unconscious. He rescues Cheng from a behind attack and Cheng returns the favor by pushing him to safety and into a mud pile unknowingly. Just as he got up and showed an irritated face to the one that dirtied him, Cheng got his sword to cut the rope and free the villagers. He took a bath afterwards and had dinner with Cheng and his family. He raised a rude question about Cheng which made Cheng's siblings glare at him, making him take back what he said, admitting that Cheng was a good fighter.

### ​Episode 2

    He together with Cheng were dragged along by Hua to the kitchens for they had been under the punishment of no food for two days. He blames Cheng that it was his fault that they were punished because he hit Master Fong with an arrow during target practice. He rebutted by saying it was Tang's fault for laughing during that time. They argued on while eating until Hua calls to their attention and they all watch from behind a slightly opened door. There was a man, who seemed as if he was escaping from someone. He realized that the man wore a bracelet. As the man ran away by the roof, he called to everyone's attention the bracelet he wore when a Shaolin suddenly shouted that Master Sanzang was dead. At this they ran to his chambers where the doctor pronounced Sanzang's state hopeless. When Master Long Tsu brings up the topic of the antidote flower, Hua volunteered them to go search for it at which Master Fong strongly disagreed. Then Tang brought up the man with the bracelet to which he was scolded by Fong for inventing stories.

While he and Cheng were doing their chore, he brings up the possibility that the man with the bracelet poisoned Master Sanzang to which Cheng told him to drop it. They started to argue again about Cheng's lack

     of aim when three horsemen and Long Tsu passed the gate of the place they were sweeping in. They followed them, concealing themselves among the bamboo. When Long Tsu finished giving instruction to the Hanging Forest one of the men held his hand out to show acknowledgement to which Tang noticed the bracelet, the same bracelet the man from the other night wore. He and Cheng ran after them but failed. He was about to inform Long Tsu when Fong showed up and scolded them both telling them to go back and do their chores. He and Cheng bring Hua out to the bridge before the exit gate to plan their next move. They all agreed to stop the man with the bracelet and he led them to a covered wagon to hide in while exiting the gate. He criticizes Cheng for eating the apples noisily that it could alert the driver of their presence. When the driver took a bathroom break, they get the horse with Tang manning the reigns.

     They get to a forest where they see two of the horsemen. He takes the lead to tell them that the person they're with was the traitor. Afterwhich they engaged battle with the Black Foxes. He provokes a goliath Black Fox wielding a staff axe and dodges his attack by jumping onto a tree branch above him, glistening victoriously in the sunlight, cutting the axehead off in between. He regroups with Hua and Cheng and proceeded to battle again. He kicks a Black Fox's arm wielding a saber and that saber flies near the two tied-up Shaolins who used the opportunity to cut the rope they were tied with. They tell the three to go to the Hanging Forest and the two parties exchange good wishes briefly before parting.

They arrive and Hua finds a boat saying how lucky they are. Tang discounts that fact considering the place they are in. Cheng rows the boat since Tang reasoned that Hua is a girl and that he doesn't like dirt and has delicate hands.

When Hua mentions the giant serpent that was said to guard the swamp, Tang discounts that fact as a child's tale. A huge serpent appears toppling the boat. Tang resurfaced first followed by Cheng and both call out for Hua. They swim to shore and see Hua carried in a pink sphere to the shore. They ask her how she did it.She replied but gasped in the middle, catching sight of dark figures hanging from the huge tree in front of them. As Hua was about to climb, the vines lower the skeletal figures down. They are now animate and Tang protests these things since they were against science. They engage the skeletons and defeated them easily. But when they start to regenerate, he and Hua tell Cheng to get the flower while they cover him. Cheng got the flower and the skeletons stop moving and began to crumble. When Cheng shows them the flower, he kept it for safe keeping, with Cheng questioning this in jest.

They ride back to Shaolin and Tang tells the guards to make way. Cheng informs them that the other two grand masters have been poisoned as well. He quickly gives the flower to the doctor monitoring the three grand masters.

As the doctor destroys the flower, he announces his knowledge of the doctor being thetraitor and explains how he knew. His accomplice declared that the poison was an *odorless*poison and when he was diagnosing Sanzang, he sniffed the poison and proclaimed that the poison was Black Lotus. The doctor couldn't have known that it was Black Lotus by its scent so he would have been the one poisoning to know the poison.

The doctor and his accomplice were stopped by the Shaolin warriors that came to help them. When he was criticized why he gave the flower to the doctor, he revealed that he had the real flower all along. Hua hugs him and praises him.

     In Master Sanzang's room, Tang asks an explanation from Sanzang of how the skeletons coming to life and back into dust was possible. Sanzang puts off that question and asks his which brings up the topic of their punishment. Master Fong and Master Long Tsu arrive and pardon their punishment since they were grateful. Master Fong later expresses hope in their being Shaolin Wuzangs.

### Episode 3

When Lu Yen gosspied about how Hua was a spy of Hei Hu, he and Cheng tried to teach them a lesson thereby disrupting Master Fong's lecture. They were sent outside to shovel snow. Outside, Tang agreed with Cheng and singled Lu Yen as the perpetrator of everyone being against Hua. When they still continued teasing Hua, he stopped Cheng from fighting them. In the evening he and Cheng bring Lu Yen who had little clothes on out in the freezing snow. He jested to Lu Yen to be forgiving to Cheng since he gets that way when his friends are attacked. When Lu Yen threatens to call for help, Tang craftily asks him if he wanted his friends to think of him as a whimp since he was in that situation. They previously had flipped a coin to see who would teach him a lesson and Cheng was the winner. Tang sarcastically commented that it was a good thing for Lu Yen and remarked that he didn't want exercise during bedtime. Then Lu Yen gave chase.

All the Shaolins were being assembled for an emergency and seeing that Hua wasn't around he and Cheng go to her room and find a secret passage uncovered. They went in and followed where the tunnel would lead them. It lead them outside and they see two sets of footprints, a big one and a small one. Cheng deduced that the smaller ones were Hua's and Tang suggested she was following the man whom Master Sanzang was mentioning earlier. The tracks stop as the footprints were covered by the heavy snowfall. They find an inn and run to it deducing Hua might be there, with Tang suggesting they get a hot meal while they were at it. At the inn, Cheng was eating away at a bowl of noodles and Tang was keeping warm by the fire. He arrogantly disclosed that he was the governor's son when the innkeeper asked for payment. The Black Foxes suddenly arrive and Tang quickly whispers to stay low. As the Black Foxes were blasted near to where they were, Cheng gives attention to Hua's presence, signalling to the Black Foxes that they were Shaolins as well. Tang criticizes him, sarcastically calling him a "master of discretion". Weapons were held against them and Hua joins in. They engage in battle. Tang deduced that the old man must be a Shaolin master when he helped them by producing a spirit buffalo to fight.

Morning came and Master Sanzang helps him up.

## References

Tang's Infobox source:

1. ↑ https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%94%90%E5%B0%8F%E9%BE%99/43702