| Jia Sidao | |
|---|---|
| |
| Residence |
Xianyang |
| Occupation |
Chancellor |
| Affiliation |
Song Dynasty |
| Status |
Deceased |
| Cause of Death |
Killed in single combat by Hundred Eyes |
| Killed By | |
| Significant Other(s) | |
| Portrayed By |
Chin Han |
| First Appearance | |
| Latest Appearance | |
| GALLERY | |
Jia Sidao is a Song Dynasty loyalist. He grew up poor and only rose to power because his sister, Mei Ling, was the emperors favorite concubine. He is the main antagonist of Season 1.
Appearance and Character
Jia Sidao is a cold and ruthless man. He has a slim build, with his hair put up on his head. He is also cleanly shaven. He will go to extremes to ensure that the Song Dynasty not only survives, but remains in power in China. He has even gone so far as to selling his sisters bed to people who are willing to cooperate with the Song Dynasty.
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
[To be added]
Relationships
[To be added]
Appearances
Quotes
Trivia
Jia testing the prototype for black powder
-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.