Li Kao
Encyclopedia
Li Kao is a fictional character in Barry Hughart
's novels Bridge of Birds
, The Story of the Stone, and Eight Skilled Gentlemen
. He is a brilliant scholar, con artist, and detective
who lives in China
during the seventh century C.E. At the time the novels take place, his age is unknown, but he seems to be over a century old. He often wishes aloud that he were ninety again.
He often introduces himself with the phrase "My surname is Li and my personal name is Kao, and there is a slight flaw in my character."
, the couple stole the payroll of the Duke of Ch'in
's guards. As they were fighting over the loot during their getaway, Li Kao's father was killed by the guards' arrows and his mother was mortally wounded.
The pregnant woman was found by the monks of the Monastery
of Sh'u. They were unable to save her, but successfully delivered her baby. As she was dying, the woman gasped out the syllables "Kao...Li...Li...Li...Kao..." The abbot
of the monastery heard this and promised the woman that he would honor her request by naming her son Li Kao, and would raise the boy as his own child. Only later did he realize that she was actually requesting one last sip of Kaoliang
wine.
Despite never knowing his parents, Li Kao was an accomplished thief from at least the age of five. Upon leaving the monastery as an adult, he turned to a life of crime
- only to find that crime was so easy that it bored him.
He then turned to scholarship. Li Kao finished his chin-shih
examinations at Hanlin Academy
as Zhuàngyuán, coming in first place out of all the scholars of China. He is thus entitled to wear both the emblem of the rose
and the chien-kuan. After the examinations, he was appointed to a research fellow
ship at the Forest of Culture Academy
.
Bored with academic life, he bribed his way into an appointment as a military strategist
, then retired from that job to become an imperial courtier
. The Emperor
eventually appointed him Governor
of Yu
.
It was in this occupation that Li Kao finally discovered his true calling. As governor, he swiftly realized that solving crimes was far more challenging than actually committing crimes. After finally managing to execute the evil Dog-Meat General of Wusan
- not by gathering evidence
of the general's crimes, but by convincing the local priest
s that the general had to be made a human sacrifice
in order to stop the flood
ing of the Yellow River
- Li Kao resigned his post and became a private investigator
in Peking.
Barry Hughart
Barry Hughart in Peoria, Illinois, is an American author of fantasy novels.- Background :Hughart was born in Peoria, Illinois on March 13, 1934. His father, John Harding Page, served as a naval officer. His mother, Veronica Hughart, was an architect.Hughart was educated at Phillips Academy...
's novels Bridge of Birds
Bridge of Birds
Bridge of Birds is a fantasy novel by Barry Hughart, first published in 1984. It is the first of three novels in the The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox series...
, The Story of the Stone, and Eight Skilled Gentlemen
Eight Skilled Gentlemen
Eight Skilled Gentlemen is a novel by Barry Hughart, first published in 1990.It is the third, and final, part of a series set in a version of ancient China that began with Bridge of Birds and The Story of the Stone.-Plot summary:...
. He is a brilliant scholar, con artist, and detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
who lives in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
during the seventh century C.E. At the time the novels take place, his age is unknown, but he seems to be over a century old. He often wishes aloud that he were ninety again.
He often introduces himself with the phrase "My surname is Li and my personal name is Kao, and there is a slight flaw in my character."
Biography
Li Kao's parents were two of the most notorious thieves in China. Near the end of his mother's pregnancyPregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
, the couple stole the payroll of the Duke of Ch'in
Qin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang , personal name Ying Zheng , was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 246 BC to 221 BC during the Warring States Period. He became the first emperor of a unified China in 221 BC...
's guards. As they were fighting over the loot during their getaway, Li Kao's father was killed by the guards' arrows and his mother was mortally wounded.
The pregnant woman was found by the monks of the Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Sh'u. They were unable to save her, but successfully delivered her baby. As she was dying, the woman gasped out the syllables "Kao...Li...Li...Li...Kao..." The abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of the monastery heard this and promised the woman that he would honor her request by naming her son Li Kao, and would raise the boy as his own child. Only later did he realize that she was actually requesting one last sip of Kaoliang
Kaoliang
Kaoliang jiu is a strong distilled liquor, made from fermented sorghum . It is made and sold in both mainland China and Taiwan, and also popular in Korea, where it is called goryangju...
wine.
Despite never knowing his parents, Li Kao was an accomplished thief from at least the age of five. Upon leaving the monastery as an adult, he turned to a life of crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
- only to find that crime was so easy that it bored him.
He then turned to scholarship. Li Kao finished his chin-shih
Imperial examination
The Imperial examination was an examination system in Imperial China designed to select the best administrative officials for the state's bureaucracy. This system had a huge influence on both society and culture in Imperial China and was directly responsible for the creation of a class of...
examinations at Hanlin Academy
Hanlin Academy
The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution founded in the eighth century Tang dynasty China by Emperor Xuanzong.Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed secretarial and literary tasks for the court. One of its main duties was to...
as Zhuàngyuán, coming in first place out of all the scholars of China. He is thus entitled to wear both the emblem of the rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
and the chien-kuan. After the examinations, he was appointed to a research fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ship at the Forest of Culture Academy
Hanlin Academy
The Hanlin Academy was an academic and administrative institution founded in the eighth century Tang dynasty China by Emperor Xuanzong.Membership in the academy was confined to an elite group of scholars, who performed secretarial and literary tasks for the court. One of its main duties was to...
.
Bored with academic life, he bribed his way into an appointment as a military strategist
Military strategy
Military strategy is a set of ideas implemented by military organizations to pursue desired strategic goals. Derived from the Greek strategos, strategy when it appeared in use during the 18th century, was seen in its narrow sense as the "art of the general", 'the art of arrangement' of troops...
, then retired from that job to become an imperial courtier
Courtier
A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
. The Emperor
Emperor of China
The Emperor of China refers to any sovereign of Imperial China reigning between the founding of Qin Dynasty of China, united by the King of Qin in 221 BCE, and the fall of Yuan Shikai's Empire of China in 1916. When referred to as the Son of Heaven , a title that predates the Qin unification, the...
eventually appointed him Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Yu
Henan
Henan , is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the central part of the country. Its one-character abbreviation is "豫" , named after Yuzhou , a Han Dynasty state that included parts of Henan...
.
It was in this occupation that Li Kao finally discovered his true calling. As governor, he swiftly realized that solving crimes was far more challenging than actually committing crimes. After finally managing to execute the evil Dog-Meat General of Wusan
Wusan
-External links:*...
- not by gathering evidence
Evidence
Evidence in its broadest sense includes everything that is used to determine or demonstrate the truth of an assertion. Giving or procuring evidence is the process of using those things that are either presumed to be true, or were themselves proven via evidence, to demonstrate an assertion's truth...
of the general's crimes, but by convincing the local priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s that the general had to be made a human sacrifice
Human sacrifice
Human sacrifice is the act of killing one or more human beings as part of a religious ritual . Its typology closely parallels the various practices of ritual slaughter of animals and of religious sacrifice in general. Human sacrifice has been practised in various cultures throughout history...
in order to stop the flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
ing of the Yellow River
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
- Li Kao resigned his post and became a private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
in Peking.