Zhang Rishan

* The Mystic Nine
* Ultimate Note
* Tomb of the Sea
* The Mystic Nine: Qing Shan Hai Tang

**Zhang Rishan** is a supporting character in The Mystic Nine and Tomb of the Sea. He appears briefly in Ultimate Note.

He is part of the Zhang Clan, but under Zhang Qishan's line. He was a lieutenant during the Republican Era in The Mystic Nine. He later heads the Nine Clans Association in Tomb of the Sea. Since he retains his youthful look in Tomb of the Sea, he has the longevity of the Zhang Clan.

## Personality & Appearance

Zhang Rishan has a tattoo of a mythical creature on his torso that appears when his skin turns warm.

     In Tomb of the Sea, Zhang Rishan has a very similar tattoo to Zhang Qiling. His tattoo is on his right chest, shoulder, and back. It is not mentioned what the mythical creature is, but its face has some features of a dragon with two horns, its body has scales, four claws, and the tail of an ox. The entirety of the creature cannot be seen, but it has similarities to the mythical creature, qilin. Despite this, the tattoo looks different than previous qilin tattoos seen in the shows and some fans disagree over whether the tattoo is a qilin.

The production team of the show has indicated that the tattoo may have meant to be/or is the mythical creature, qiongqi. While the show was airing, Xu Lei, author of the novels and screenwriter of the show, posted an interview of him answering questions about the TV adaptations. In the comments of the post, a user asked him whether Zhang Rishan's tattoo was a qilin and if only the patriarch could have the qilin tattoo. Xu Lei answered that Zhang Rishan had a qiongqi tattoo and that the inner family has a qilin tattoo. Additionally, on the shows' official Weibo in an edit, a creature behind Zhang Rishan stands opposite Liang Wan's phoenix. Zhang Rishan's creature has feathered wings and loses its scales more resembling a qiongqi than a qilin. It was also revealed in Ultimate Note that the Zhangs that follow Zhang Qishan have the qiongqi tattoo. Zhang Rishan makes an appearance in Ultimate Note but his tattoo is not shown.

## Abilities & Skills

Zhang Rishan has the two-finger skill that great tomb robbers have. The skill was first described in The Lost Tomb, where tomb robbing masters all had two particular fingers that were as steady as Mount Tai and extremely powerful. Their fingers easily broke traps set up in tombs. Zhang Rishan used his skilled hands to unlock a complicated antique puzzle and to discover a hidden entrance. However, unlike Zhang Qiling, his right index is not longer than his middle fingers indicating that he did not spend the same amount of time honing this skill.

## Trivia

* The character of Zhang Rishan does not appear in the novel that Tomb of the Sea is based on.
* Zhang Rishan is one of the few characters that appears as the same actor in multiple series.
* Zhang Rishan's actor, Zhang Ming En, is part of the production company, Linghe Culture. Linghe Culture worked on all of the series he has been in.
* By the time of Tomb of the Sea, Zhang Rishan is around 100 years old.

## Appearances

### The Mystic Nine

* Episode 1
* Episode 2
* Episode 3
* Episode 4
* Episode 5
* Episode 6
* Episode 7
* Episode 8
* Episode 9
* Episode 11
* Episode 14
* Episode 17
* Episode 18
* Episode 19
* Episode 20
* Episode 21
* Episode 22
* Episode 25
* Episode 26
* Episode 27
* Episode 28
* Episode 29
* Episode 30
* Episode 31
* Episode 32
* Episode 33
* Episode 34
* Episode 35
* Episode 36
* Episode 37
* Episode 38
* Episode 39
* Episode 40
* Episode 41
* Episode 42
* Episode 43
* Episode 44
* Episode 45
* Episode 46
* Episode 47
* Episode 48

### Ultimate Note

* Episode 20
* Episode 21
* Episode 28

### Tomb of the Sea

* Episode 3
* Episode 4
* Episode 6
* Episode 7
* Episode 8
* Episode 9
* Episode 10
* Episode 11
* Episode 12
* Episode 13
* Episode 14
* Episode 15
* Episode 16
* Episode 17
* Episode 18
* Episode 19
* Episode 20
* Episode 21
* Episode 22
* Episode 23
* Episode 24
* Episode 25
* Episode 26
* Episode 28
* Episode 29
* Episode 30
* Episode 31
* Episode 35
* Episode 41
* Episode 42
* Episode 43
* Episode 44
* Episode 45
* Episode 47 (mentioned)
* Episode 49
* Episode 50
* Episode 51
* Episode 52

## References

1. ↑ Tomb of the Sea, Episode 13
2. ↑ Tomb of the Sea, Episode 3; title "大堂经理" was on his desk name plate
3. ↑ Tomb of the Sea, Episode 17
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tomb of the Sea, Episode 8; information from the State Administration for Industry & Commerce
5. ↑ Ultimate Note, Episode 20; 小回应｜南派三叔：会完结《盗墓笔记》的做事，但有兴趣在这个世界观下继续创作，WeChat (微信) [Comments only available on WeChat App]. See Screenshot
6. ↑ Tomb of the Sea, Episode 13
7. ↑ Zhang Rishan admits to being around in the early 1900s. See Tomb of the Sea, Episode 43. The ability of the Zhangs keeping their youth for many years has only been described as longevity (长生), not immortality. See Tomb of the Sea, Episode 45.
8. ↑  Compare Zhang Rishan's tattoo in Tomb of the Sea with Zhang Qiling's tattoo in Tomb of the Sea. Zhang Qiling's tattoo was confirmed to be of a qilin in Ultimate Note, Episode 20 and Reunion, Episode 1.
9. ↑ A **Qilin** is a mythical creature that symbolizes good. It is often depicted with the head of a dragon with one or two horns, hooves of a deer or claws, the body of a deer or horse, the tail of an ox or bear, and scales.
10. ↑ Compare Zhang Qiling's past tattoos that closely resemble Qilins: Reunion ZQL's Tattoo, Lost Tomb ZQL's Tattoo, Ultimate Note ZQL's Tattoo, and Zhang Qishan's Qiongqi: Front Tattoo and Back Tattoo.
11. ↑ 小回应｜南派三叔：会完结《盗墓笔记》的做事，但有兴趣在这个世界观下继续创作，WeChat (微信) [Comments only available on WeChat App]. See Screenshot
12. ↑ 沙海官微 (Tomb of the Sea Official Weibo)
13. ↑ A **Qiongqi** is an evil mythical creature that has the body and face of a tiger and feathered wings. In other depictions, the qiongqi is an ox with spikes like a hedgehog. Both The Mystic Nine television series and the books depict the qiongqi as a tiger with wings.
14. ↑ Ultimate Note, Episode 20, Timestamp Around 34:00
15. ↑ Both Zhang Qishan and Zhang Qiling are mentioned to have a similar skill. The term in Chinese is 双指探洞. See Tomb of the Sea, Episode 12; The Lost Tomb, Episode 2.
16. ↑ The Lost Tomb, Episode 2
17. ↑ Tomb of the Sea, Episode 12, 28.
18. ↑ Tomb of the Sea, Episode 12, 28; The Lost Tomb, Episode 2. See Zhang Rishan's Hands vs. Zhang Qiling's Hand.
19. ↑ Tomb of the Sea, Episode 43