Jia Sidao

Jia Sidao
Biographical Information
Residence	Xianyang
Occupation	Chancellor
Affiliation	Song Dynasty
Status	Deceased
Cause of Death	Killed in single combat by Hundred Eyes
Killed By	Hundred Eyes
Relationship Information
Significant Other(s)	Mei Lin (Sister) Ling-Ling (Niece)
Series Information
Portrayed By	Chin Han
First Appearance	The Wayfarer
Latest Appearance	The Heavenly and Primal
GALLERY

Jia Sidao is a Song Dynasty loyalist. He grew up poor and only rose to power because his sister, Mei Lin, was the emperor's favorite concubine. He is the primary antagonist of Season 1.

Appearance and Character

Jia Sidao is a cold, ruthless, and dangerously practical man with a slim build and hair pulled up into a bun atop his head, as was the style of members of the imperial court. Clean shaven and fastidious, Sidao placed much importance on his own personal appearance, those of the people around him, and of his living quarters, which was adorned with beautiful and expensive porcelain pieces. He went to extreme measures, including murdering members of his own court, to ensure the survival of the Song Dynasty and to maintain and expand his own personal power and influence. He continuously used his sister, Mei Lin, the favored concubine of the aging emperor, as a tool to secure and maintain power; a fact that was seemingly so well known, that Ahmad, Minister of Finances to Kublai Khan, tells Mei Lin that he knew Sidao had "crawled up and into the Imperial Court through the wet spot" in her bed.

Sidao was an accomplished practitioner of Northern Praying Mantis-style kung fu, which either led to or was the result of his obsession with keeping and observing the behavior of his pet mantids. He admired the patience and aggressive brutality displayed by both the insect and the martial art. He was extremely proud of his prowess in this style and sadistically relished the opportunity to showcase it, arrogantly seeming to believe that he was the only person who had managed to master it. During his final battle with Hundred Eyes, Sidao appears to be shocked and enraged when the blind man assumes the praying mantis stance and begins to use Sidao's trademark style against him.

Biography

Early Life

Little is known of Sidao's childhood other than the fact that he and Mei Lin grew up in extreme poverty and were apparently orphans. The dynamic between Sidao and his sister during the events of the first season seems to be a mirror opposite of their childhood relationship. As children, Mei Lin was the dominant sibling, controlling what little money they had and berating Sidao for being unintelligent, while Sidao, a gangly, awkward, and clearly slow youth, timidly bent to his sister's will.

Season 1

One day, he musters the army of the city in the field. He questions the general about his warrior. Jia Sidao quickly kills the warrior, ruthless belittling the general and the state of the army.

Jia testing the prototype for black powder

Trivia

-Historically, Jia Sidao (Chinese: 賈似道, 1213-1275) was, in fact, a chancellor of the Song Dynasty of China. Much like his portrayal in "Marco Polo", Sidao's rise to power was largely due to his sister's position as a concubine to Emperor Lizong. He was known for corruption and incompetence and, as shown in the television show, did not enjoy the confidence or support of the Dowager Empress Xie. After increasingly punitive decrees made against him by the Dowager Empress, Sidao met his end at the hands of a court-designated official charged with his custody. (Wikipedia: Jia Sidao)