Zi Yuan was a powerful sorceress that assisted the O'Connells in defeating the ancient dragon emperor, Han; once he had been brought to life.
Biography[]
A sorceress of ancient China, Zi Yuan had been sought by the Emperor Han to bring him immortality, though she, in vengeance for taking her lover's life, cursed him and his army. Centuries after they had been cursed, Zi Yuan had remained immortal and was to give up her own immortality and that of her daughter's to defeat that of the Emperor's
Ancient China[]
In ancient China, the Emperor Han had intended, after conquering much of Asia, to become immortal so as to live out his success forever, and so sought the help of a powerful sorceress known as Zi Yuan to help him become immortal, as she had been known to possess the means of becoming immortal. Han sent out his most trusted general, Ming Guo, to find the sorceress; after having found the sorceress, Ming returned to the Emperor with Zi Yuan. She explained to the Emperor that she did not possess the secret to immortality, but she did know where to find it.
The Emperor, upon hearing this, ordered General Ming to ensure that no man would touch her and that she is his. With that, the sorceress and general left for the Monastery of Turfan, where was housed an ancient library that contained the Oracle Bones, the ancient texts that; contained the spells for immortality.
While in Turfan, the two defied the Emperor's command that; no man could touch the sorceress. But as they were in Turfan, they were spied on, neither knowing of this; until they returned to the Emperor's palace, where the Emperor had thanked Zi Yuan for her services and offered her anything that she desired; Zi Yuan wished to live her life; with Ming. The Emperor agreed and as she read the spells in Sanskrit, the Emperor could not understand them; the Emperor believed that; the spell had worked and took Zi Yuan to see that; outside his palace, Ming had been tied up, about to be dismembered; by horses.
The Emperor stated that; if Zu Yuan became his queen, the general would live. Zi Yuan told the Emperor that; he would never keep his word, and the Emperor acknowledged it; by ordering Ming to be killed. The emperor quietly drew out her dagger to stab Zi Yuan and after a brief tussle stabbed her in the side with it. As Zi Yuan staggered away, the Emperor saw that; mud was coming from his eyes as if it were tears; Zi Yuan revealed that; she had cursed the Emperor Han and his armies as she escaped him; with the Oracle Bones in hand; the Emperor began to become mud which was quickly fired; outside, the armies, too, were becoming mud and Zi Yuan mounted her horse and quickly escaped.
Exile[]
Near death, Zi Yuan was saved; by the Yetis, giant, white-furred creatures; who brought her to the Pool of Eternal Life in Shangri-La. Zi Yuan became immortal and gave birth to Ming's daughter, a baby girl; who she had named Lin; who shared immortality; with her mother.
The Emperor Revived[]
2,000 years later, a young archaeologist named Alexander O'Connell led an excavation to find the Dragon Emperor and his army; Alex's parents, eminent archaeologists and adventurers Rick and his wife Evelyn O'Connell, under threats of death from a para-militant group, restored the Emperor to life, albeit as a terracotta mummy. To stop him, Alex's parents teamed up together with their son, Evelyn's brother Jonathan and Lin, who had been trying to assassinate Alex so that he would not come close to the Emperor's remains and so bring him back to life.
The group reached the frozen regions of Tibet and battled the para-military troops in an ancient monastery; Rick attempted to end the Emperor's ascent to power by stabbing him but was mortally wounded himself. In a desperate bid to heal his father, Alex follows Lin, who leads the group to the cave where she and her mother resided, which housed as well the Pool of Eternal Life. Alex ran up to the Pool, determined to save his father's life, but Zi Yuan spotted him and at first thought him an attacker, attacking him with a sword but was stopped by her daughter, whom she was happily reunited with at that moment. Lin requested to her mother that she help Rick survive; Zi Yuan agreed and used the power of the Pool's waters to heal Rick. At that moment the Emperor, a burnt corpse within his terracotta encasing, arrived and immersed himself in the Pool's waters, returning to full immortal health as a three-headed dragon. To Zi Yuan's shock, the Emperor abducted Lin in his dragon form and flew off with her, flying off with his militant leader, General Yang, who mounted the dragon. After her daughter's abduction, Zi Yuan agreed to join the O'Connells in defeating the Emperor.
Zi Yuan's Summons[]
The group caught up with the Emperor as he had already brought back to life his terracotta armies; outnumbered by far, Zi Yuan read from the archaic text, the Oracle Bones to revive an army of her own, consisting of every foe and slave of the Emperor that had died in battle and was entombed within the Great Wall; among them was Zi Yuan's lover and Lin's father, the resurrected General Ming Guo, who had come back in a skeletal form with enough strength to lead the deceased warriors.
Death[]
During the ensuing battle, Zi Yuan decided to engage the Emperor in a sword-fight herself, in order to destroy him and end his army's wicked campaign. During the fight, however, Zi Yuan was wounded, slashed in the stomach by the Emperor.
At that point, she forced the knife into her stomach to retrieve the cursed dagger, which was stolen by the Emperor at Shangri-La. Near death, she withdrew the dagger from her abdomen and gave it to Lin, her last words being that she was to kill the Emperor. With that, Zi Yuan passed away in Lin's arms.
Afterwards Emperor Han is killed when Rick and Alex plunge the dagger into Han's heart avenging Zi Yuan, Ming Guo, and the resurrected army allowing them to rest in peace. It's likely that Zi Yuan reunited with Ming Guo in the afterlife.
Personality[]
Zi Yuan was known to be seclusive and mysterious. Along; with her furtive nature, Zi Yuan was highly reserved, keeping to herself, this changing after she had met Ming Guo; who she fell for in time. Though Zi Yuan was skilled in magic and sorcery, she would not misuse her skills; making right her assistance to Han by casting a malediction on him and his armies. Living into the modern age, Zi Yuan grew more seclusive and more wary of those that sought out what Han once sought; a trait which she had passed on to her daughter, Lin.
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Master Sorceress: Zi Yuan possessed vast knowledge of the mystical arts; as she was a highly skilled sorceress. Zi Yuan was also the most powerful magic-user on the entire planet.
- Mystical Causes: Zi Yuan could cast magical enchantments or spells designed to cause negative effects to occur.
- Accelerated Healing Factor: Zi Yuan was able to heal/regenerate much faster, more extensively and efficiently than normal humans; for example, she could completely heal from physical injuries in a matter of seconds, minutes or hours; depending on how serious they were.
- Resurrection: Zi Yuan was able to (temporarily) bring other individuals back to life; for example, she sacrificing her and her daughter, Lin's immortality and invoking the holy spirits; in order to resurrect Han's slaves and to combat his army.
- Telekinesis: Zi Yuan could telekinetically move objects or other individuals; without physically touching them.
Former powers[]
- Immortality: Due to drinking from the pool of eternal life; Zi Yuan was immortal; for example, she could not be killed; by natural means or most other supernatural means. But after Zi Yuan had sacrificed her immortality; in order to combat Han's army; she no longer possessed this power anymore.
- Superhuman Longevity: Due to drinking from the pool of eternal life; Zi Yuan did not visibly age beyond her prime; for example; despite being over 2,000 years, she still maintained the physical appearance of a woman in her prime. But after Zi Yuan had sacrificed her superhuman longevity; in order to combat Han's army; she no longer possessed this power anymore.
Abilities[]
- Knowledge of the Craft: Zi Yuan was an extensive knowledge of magic and the supernatural, as demonstrated; by her certainty that; the secret to immortality could be found; within the ancient library of the Monastery of Turfan.
- Multilingual: Zi Yuan was capable of fluently speaking chinese, english and sanskrit respectively; whenever Zi Yuan spoke english; it was always; with a thick chinese accent.
Weaknesses[]
- Limited Healing Factor: Although Zi Yuan could heal/regenerate incredibly fast, she did have his limits; for example, she could not heal/regenerate from certain injuries extremely quickly, this was demonstrated; when she was stabbed in the chest; by Han; with a sword; which ultimately led to Zi Yuan's death; after she became mortal once again.
- Mortality: Zi Yuan was mortal; for example, she could be killed; just like other living beings.
Appearances[]
- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (First appearance)
Trivia[]
- Zi Yuan shares similarities to Anck-Su-Namun as both of them were women; who the rulers of the kingdom they lived in fell in love; with (Emperor Han and Seti I), only to fall in love; with the rulers' close advisors (Ming Guo and Imhotep). Their allegiances are reversed as Anck-Su-Namun is one of the antagonists and Zi Yuan is an ally to the O'Connells. She is also similar to Ardeth Bay as they offer ways to defeat the antagonists and both have armies; which they use to stop the mummies.
Behind the scenes[]
- Zi Yuan was portrayed by actress Michelle Yeoh.