Name: Chen Jiang

Age: 35

Gender: Male

Time/Place of Origin: Chang'an, China. Capital city of Tang Dynasty, circa 700 CE.

Appearance:
Standing at only 5'6", Chen does not cut an imposing figure. He is lithe of frame, with narrow shoulders and sharp cheekbones, and his angular features are only enhanced by the black wisp of his imperial goatee. A simple two-piece robe is tied around him, blue cotton tied above the waist with a white sash, and his feet are wrapped in worn boots of plain black cloth.

What his immediate appearance lacks in drama, however, is supplemented by many small details. His hands are rough and leathery, visibly calloused on both the palms and the knuckles. Lines spread from the corners of his mouth and eyes, their subtle shadows indicating many long years of smiles. A thin vein of white runs from above his right eye and beyond his hairline, the scar leaving a small, asymmetric line of bare skin carved through the black of his hair. Most striking of all, however, are not Chen's scars or skin, but the incredible grace with which he moves -- every action, from a blink to a backflip, is fluid, precise, and effortless.

Bio:
Born in 678 CE, Chen grew up helping his father work a small farm not far outside the capital city of Chang'an. At 12, he left the farm and moved into the city where he took up an unofficial residence near the military barracks (that is, he slept on the street) and spent his days as a voluntary servant for whatever the soldiers needed. His familiarity to the soldiers earned him a place in the ranks at the age of 14, where he trained and served, eventually as an officer in the prestigious Feathered Forest division that guarded the Emperor during formal court events, for fifteen years.

As his years of service progressed, Chen began to question the value of the extreme effort that the Confucian philosophies required. Disenchanted with the idea that "getting it all right" would release one from mortality -- he had, after all, seen devout soldiers suffer the same death as the impious -- the tenets of Taoism and "effortless effort" began to take root. At age thirty, he left his military post and his property to reside in a Taoist temple and pursue the Way.

Sample post:
The sweet smell of plums filled the air, carried from the orchard on the warm September wind and gently stirred by the bubbling sound of the brook that ran beneath Chen. Reminded of his lunch by the aroma, the monk stirred from his contemplation and withdrew two small fruits from his robe. He tossed one into the air, smiling as he interrupted its fall with his other hand. With a chuckle to himself, he playfully tossed the plums between his hands a few times, eventually holding both in the calloused palm of his right hand.

The monk closed his eyes for a brief moment, then slowly and deliberately transferred one plum to his other hand. The remaining plum was extended out over the gently flowing waters of the brook, and then lowered into the brisk water. As the current grabbed at the plum and began to carry it down the stream, Chen opened his eyes to watch the bright spot of purple disappear around a bend. Only after it was gone from sight did he bring the other plum to his mouth and take a bite.

Without the loss of even a drop of juice, Chen contentedly finished the plum, each bite punctuated by a happy little hum. His meager lunch completed, he stood from his cross-legged position on the rock at the brook's edge, gathered his skirt, and stepped gracefully down onto the pebbled bank of the small stream.