Avatar:Chin
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- This article is about the conqueror, Chin the Great. For other similar uses, see Chin (disambiguation).
"A horrible tyrant, Chin was expanding his army to all corners of the continent. When they came to the neck of the peninsula where we lived, he demanded our immediate surrender. I warned him that I would not sit passively while he took our home. But he did not back down."
— Avatar Kyoshi to the people of Chin Village.[1]
Chin the Conqueror, known in Chin Village as "Chin the Great" or "Emperor Chin", was an earthbending warlord who aimed to overthrow the 46th Earth King and launched a largely successful conquest of the Earth Kingdom. An extremely stubborn and proud man, Chin fell to his death when he refused to back down as Avatar Kyoshi separated her village from the mainland and formed Kyoshi Island.[1]
History
Early life and conquest of the Earth Kingdom
Prior to beginning his revolt, Chin served as a village leader.[nb 1]
During Chin's early life, the Earth Kingdom was destabilized by the Yellow Neck Uprising led by Xu Ping An and by large-scale banditry from daofei groups. This unrest culminated in 296 BG with the poisoning of much of the western Earth Kingdom’s elite and the murder of the nation's de facto regent, Jianzhu, by Yun.[3][4] Amid the perennial insurgent activities and the declining popularity of the Earth Monarch,[5] Chin launched a rebellion in the northwestern Earth Kingdom. He steadily expanded to all corners of the continent, successfully conquering all settled areas except for Ba Sing Se and the Yokoya Peninsula, the home of Avatar Kyoshi.[1]
Final duel and death
In 270 BG, Chin and his army approached Yokoya, determined to conquer it by any means necessary. Upon being opposed by Avatar Kyoshi, he demanded the immediate surrender of her and the inhabitants of the neck of the peninsula. Although she warned him that she would not sit passively while he took her home, Chin disregarded her threat and assumed an offensive position at the mouth of the peninsula, as his stubborn nature did not allow him to accept failure. Kyoshi responded by stripping him of all his clothes save for his underwear with her airbending, though Chin remained unfazed and held his position.[1]
Even when Kyoshi entered the Avatar State and split Yokoya from the mainland, effectively creating Kyoshi Island, Chin held his ground at the newly formed cliff. As the landmass parted, the ground beneath him became unstable and began to crumble. Although he had ample time to move back to safety, Chin refused to take even a few steps back and ultimately fell to his death when the cliff collapsed beneath him.[1]
Legacy
Chin's conquest occurred around the time of the Peasant Uprising in Ba Sing Se, reflecting massive unrest in the Earth Kingdom that was at least partly attributable to dissatisfaction with the 46th Earth King's rule. The Earth King's diminishing authority helped pave the way for both the Conspiracy of Ba Sing Se and later the successes of the Fire Nation during the Hundred Year War.[6][7]
After his death, a village of his followers was named Chin Village in his honor. He remained immortalized there as a great hero over 370 years later, with a statue erected in his likeness. The statue was destroyed by the Rough Rhinos in 100 AG.[1]
Personality
Chin was a highly controversial leader, as even 370 years after his death, debate persisted regarding his righteousness and heroism. While those who opposed his actions referred to him as a "horrible tyrant", advocates of his conquest idolized him as a "glorious leader".
Chin's actions were often cruel and provocative, reflected by one instance in which he attacked an emissary with his earthbending merely to demonstrate his power. Nevertheless, he amassed an army numbering in the thousands to conquer the Earth Kingdom. His hubris enabled his occupation of much of the Earth Kingdom mainland, but also led to his demise. His overconfidence in facing Avatar Kyoshi alone and his refusal to back down —even after Kyoshi separated her peninsula from the continent— resulted in his fatal fall when the unstable cliff beneath him collapsed.[1]
Appearances
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Book Two: Earth (土)
Book Three: Fire (火)
Trivia
- The Chinese characters carved on the lower part of the statue in ancient Seal Script read 秦帝
(Qín dì), meaning "Emperor Chin". His name bears a strong resemblance to Qin Shi Huangdi (秦始皇帝
(Qínshǐhuáng dì)), the first Emperor of China whose reign was characterized by territorial expansion.- In Mandarin Chinese, the "Q" in "Qin" is pronounced like the English sound "Ch", which explains why Chin is spelled with a "Ch" rather than "Q". This spelling also aligns with the older Wade–Giles romanization system, which would render the name as "Ch'in".
- Chin also shares traits with Xiang Yu, a powerful warlord who overthrew the Qin Dynasty. Known for his brutality, Xiang Yu is remembered as "the Conqueror" in Chinese culture and ultimately fell due to his pride.
- The design of Chin's armor resembles that of Song and Ming dynasty armors commonly worn by generals and commanders. His hat, called a Tong Tian Guan, was often worn by high-ranking military officers.
- Some believed that Chin sought to conquer the Earth Kingdom to compensate for his short stature,[8] a phenomenon known as the Napoleon complex.
- Napoleon and Chin both hailed from peripheral territories relative to their later empires.
- According to Avatar Kyoshi, Chin’s death brought "a great era of peace".[9]
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- Chin is referenced in a painting in the episode "Warriors" of the Netflix adaptation of Avatar, where he and his army are depicted being defeated in battle by Kyoshi. Chin is shown being struck by all four elements, indicating that the Avatar killed him outright in the Netflix continuity.[10]
Notes
- ↑ According to the older Avatar: The Last Airbender official site, Chin served as leader of the village which later became known as Chin Village.[2] This is impossible, however, as the village is located where Chin died, and the area in question was shown to be free of any buildings at the time of his death.[1] It is possible though unconfirmed that Chin served as mayor of Qinchao Village, a town that was mostly inhabited by the Chin clan[3][4] and might be related to the later Chin Village.
References
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de:Chin es:Chin fr:Chin he:צ'ין id:Chin nl:Chin de Grote pl:Chin pt-br:Chin ru:Чин