Kai Lung is a fictional character

Fictional character

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

 in a series of books by Ernest Bramah

Ernest Bramah

Ernest Bramah , born Ernest Brammah Smith, was an English author. He published 21 books and numerous short stories and features. His humorous works were ranked with Jerome K Jerome, and W.W. Jacobs, his detective stories with Conan Doyle, his politico-science fiction with H.G. Wells and his...

, consisting of The Wallet of Kai Lung

The Wallet of Kai Lung

The Wallet of Kai Lung is a collection of fantasy stories by Ernest Bramah, all but the last of which feature Kai Lung, an itinerant story-teller of ancient China. It was first published in hardcover in London by Grant Richards in 1900, and there have been numerous editions since...

(1900), Kai Lung's Golden Hours

Kai Lung's Golden Hours

Kai Lung's Golden Hours is a fantasy novel by Ernest Bramah. It was first published in hardcover in London by Grant Richards Ltd. in October, 1922, and there have been numerous editions since. The first edition included a preface by Hilaire Belloc, which has also been a feature of every edition since...

(1922), Kai Lung Unrolls His Mat

Kai Lung Unrolls His Mat

Kai Lung Unrolls His Mat is a fantasy novel by Ernest Bramah. It was first published in 1928 and has been reprinted a number of times since, most notably as the sixty-fourth volume of the celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in February, 1974....

(1928), The Moon of Much Gladness

The Moon of Much Gladness

The Moon of Much Gladness is a fantasy novel by Ernest Bramah, perhaps told by Kai Lung, Bramah's fictional itinerant story-teller of ancient China. It was first published in hardcover in London by Cassell and Company, Ltd. in May 1932, and was reprinted in 1934...

(1932; published in the USA as The Return of Kai Lung), Kai Lung Beneath the Mulberry Tree

Kai Lung Beneath the Mulberry Tree

Kai Lung Beneath the Mulberry Tree is a collection of fantasy stories by Ernest Bramah featuring Kai Lung, an itinerant story-teller of ancient China. It was first published in hardcover in London by The Richards Press Ltd. in February 1940, and was reprinted in 1942, 1944, 1946, and 1951...

(1940), Kai Lung: Six

Kai Lung: Six

Kai Lung: Six is a collection of fantasy stories by Ernest Bramah featuring Kai Lung, an itinerant story-teller of ancient China. It was first published as a limited edition of 250 copies in hardcover in Tacoma, Washington by The Non-Profit Press in 1974....

(1974) and Kai Lung Raises His Voice

Kai Lung Raises His Voice

Kai Lung Raises His voice is a collection of fantasy stories by Ernest Bramah featuring Kai Lung, an itinerant story-teller of ancient China...

(2010).

Character introduction

Kai Lung is a Chinese storyteller whose travels and exploits serve mainly as excuses to introduce substories, which generally take up the majority of a Kai Lung book.

Motivations

Kai Lung is a man of very simple motivations; most frequently, he is animated by a desire for enough tael

Tael

Tael can refer to any one of several weight measures of the Far East. Most commonly, it refers to the Chinese tael, a part of the Chinese system of weights and currency....

s to be able to feed and clothe himself. Otherwise, his main motivation is love for his wife, Hwa-mei, and he seeks nothing more than a simple, sustainable lifestyle. Generally, he does not intrude in other people's affairs unless he thinks it necessary to teach them the rudiments of classical proportion with one of his fables.

Conflicts

This character usually comes into conflict with barbarians, bandits, and other people who are not classically educated, as well as various unscrupulous individuals who are intent on taking away his property.