Kong

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Kong was a merchant and smuggler from Dali who ran a tea shop in Baghdad during the 9th century. He was a friend of the Hidden One Basim Ibn Ishaq.

Biography

Kong moved to the Karkh district of Baghdad to conduct business at least some time in the 850s, where he met a young Basim, who lived the life of a street thief. The two became close friends before Basim eventually left and moved to Anbar. In Basim's absence, Kong became a wealthy merchant of influence, enough to gain him entry into the Da'irat Al-mal (English: Grand Auction) at the Grand Bazaar.

Some years later, Kong sought his aid to retrieve an important shipment of tea leaves which had been confiscated by the authorities due to the machinations of Al-Kullulu, a member of the Order of the Ancients.

Behind the Scenes

Kong is a supporting character in Assassin's Creed: Mirage. In the memory "Coins, Corruption, and Tea", he mentions that his tea is from his hometown of Dali (大理) and that it is in China. In addition, he speaks modern Mandarin, indicating a Chinese background. Although Dali is an important city in Yunnan, China today, it is anachronistic to refer to it as a place in China in the 9th century, the period in which Mirage is set. At the time, it was the capital of Dali State (大禮國), a country of the indigenous Bai and Yi peoples independent of Tang China, who referred to it as Nanzhao (南詔). In addition, the name of the city itself was not Dali but Yon‧zon‧mix, transcribed by the Chinese as 羊苴咩 (Mandarin: Yángjūmiē). In fact, Nanzhao had a city named 大厘(Dali) that located in modern Dali district.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Mirage