Shao Jun

"She who seeks revenge should remember to dig two graves."

―Shao Jun to an apprentice, 1567

Shao Jun
Biographical information
Born	7 November 1505 Beijing, The Great Ming
Species	Human
Database entries	Shao Jun (Assassin's Creed III) Shao Jun (China) Shao Jun (Rebellion)
Political information
Affiliations	Assassins Chinese Brotherhood

Shao Jun (born 1505) was a Mentor of the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins. A former concubine of the Zhengde Emperor, she was rescued by the Assassins after the emperor's death and devoted her life to the Brotherhood as a result.

During the interregnum following the Zhengde Emperor's death, Zhang Yong—the leader of the Eight Tigers, a Templar faction—orchestrated a purge of all those who opposed him, which included the Assassins. Shao Jun and her Mentor Zhu Jiuyuan fled west to seek out the retired Mentor of the Italian Brotherhood, Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

Two years later, Shao Jun returned to China to take her revenge on those who previously destroyed the Brotherhood. Over the course of six years, together with the Master Assassin Wang Yangming, she successfully eliminated all of the Tigers, prevented a Mongolian invasion, and despite Yangming's death, rebuilt the Chinese Brotherhood and spearheaded it as its new Mentor.

By 1567, Shao Jun had devised a plan to poison the Jiajing Emperor, the Zhengde Emperor's successor who had ordered the Assassin purge, by using a strain of concentrated mercury disguised as an elixir of life. The Emperor subsequently perished after ingesting the poison, avenging Shao Jun's murdered fellow Assassins and concubines. Decades afterwards, many of her techniques were still in use.

She is an ancestor to the 21st century American Assassin Lin and the Japanese teenager Kō Risa.

Biography

Imperial Concubine

"You've come far for someone who was merely once a Concubine."

―Gao Feng, 1526.

The daughter of an imperial concubine, Shao Jun was born into imperial custody during the lackluster rule of the Zhengde Emperor of the Ming dynasty. As a result, she was raised from birth to become a concubine and started out as a one of the many lower-ranking concubines who hoped to become empress. To this effect, she received an education in embroidery, literature, singing, and dancing—arts typical of ladies of the court. Among these, she demonstrated an exceptional talent for music and dance early on. Unlike most women valued for their beauty at this time, Shao Jun was not forced to bind her breasts or her feet so that she may maintain her gracefulness in dance.

In 1510, Shao Jun, then only five-years-old, witnessed firsthand the eunuch Liu Jin's execution via lingchi. Liu, the leader of the Templar group known as the Eight Tigers, had been betrayed by his own lieutenant Zhang Yong, and his torturous demise by hundreds of cuts over the course of two days would be forever etched in Shao Jun's mind.

The Zhengde Emperor, known for his juvenile nature and lack of interest in the urgent matters that concerned his country, regarded Shao Jun highly among his concubines after she had reached her teenage years, for her agility and cat-like discretion fascinated him. He occasionally had her dance atop a caged leopard to demonstrate this agility to his court and amuse him. Living a decade of her life under the Zhengde Emperor, he often used her as his spy or thief and to stage pranks against eunuchs and ministers.

By the age of thirteen, Shao Jun had risen to the rank of Imperial Concubine through the Zhengde Emperor's favor. At this stage, she and her best friend Zhang Qijie had become candidates for Imperial Consort or even Empress. The two had always enjoyed a friendly rivalry, where Shao Jun always bested her foot-bound friend through her nimble grace. ^{[citation needed]} Nonetheless, Shao Jun had never once been invited to her Emperor's bed since he instead preferred the company of courtesans and other women he was acquainted with.

Late in his reign, the Zhengde Emperor went on a campaign against Mongol raiders in the north, bringing Shao Jun and a few other concubines with him for his personal leisure. As was the case back in court, Shao Jun served primarily as his spy during this expedition, in the process gaining the opportunity to meet with many foreigners.

Joining the Assassins

"I was born into captivity. One of many Concubines. When the Brotherhood came for us, I saw freedom, I saw a future."

―Shao Jun, 1530.

With the death of the Zhengde Emperor in April 1521, the sixteen-year-old Shao Jun found all prospects of becoming empress dashed except on the slim chance that his successor would find her appealing. In the meantime, the imperial ministers fell into disarray and feuded over who should succeed the heir-less emperor. Hoping to maintain her status through the interregnum, Shao Jun used her spying skills to find the appropriate connections, only to uncover a secret war between the Templar Order led by the Eight Tigers and the Assassins. Not long after, Shao Jun fathomed that the Tigers were plotting to seize control of China by using their power to place a puppet on the throne. Recognizing that the Tigers already controlled the most influential people at court, she decided to contact the Brotherhood through their leader, Wang Yangming, and requested to join them. In the Assassins, she saw a chance at freedom.

However, Yangming's secret identity had been discovered by the Templars as well, and through the intelligence they gathered, they were poised to launch a surprise operation against the Assassins in Beijing. This impending purge was leaked to the concubines just in time for Shao Jun to alert Yangming, and the Neo-Confucian Mentor rallied his best Assassins for a preemptive strike at the Forbidden City to kill the Tigers. In the ensuing conflict, the Assassins were defeated. Many among their number and even mere civilians suspected of association with them were detained and summarily executed via lingchi, but Shao Jun was successfully extracted from the palace by Yangming in the full retreat that followed.

Loyal immediately to those who rescued her, Shao Jun dedicated her first years of freedom to serving the Brotherhood. Yangming trained her in the Assassins' ways until she was an Initiate and was rewarded with a Hidden Blade. However, Yangming had to disappear to escape the Great Rites Controversy so Zhu Jiuyuan replaced him as Shao Jun's new Mentor. Under his wing, she reached the full rank of Assassin and took a Leap of Faith.

Years after her rescue, Shao Jun and her Mentor decided to save the remaining concubines whom she had grown up with. After breaking into the Imperial Palace, Shao Jun discovered that most of her friends had been tortured and killed through the use of lingchi by order of the Zhengde Emperor's cousin and successor Zhu Houcong, the Jiajing Emperor. Shao Jun and her Mentor then fled the palace.

The Assassin Shao Jun and her concubine friend, Zhang

Before leaving, Shao Jun took the incredible risk of infiltrating the Forbidden City to free her friend Zhang. Although she knew the place by heart, the eunuch guards would have slaughtered her if she'd been caught. Fortunately, the level of security was lower than usual, for the Jiajing Emperor was often away in his own private palaces. Shao Jun found Zhang and was astonished to hear that she wanted to stay, even if the Emperor was a brutal man. Zhang was lucky enough to please him and was now the Imperial Consort. She told her old friend to leave in peace, and did not want to hear about the Templars controlling the Tigers, even less of the man she'd expect to become her husband. Shao Jun accepted Zhang's decision and remembered how important her career as a concubine was; she then left the Forbidden City for what she perceived to be the last time.

The Jiajing Emperor sought to detain and execute any opposition or possible threats against his rule. The Assassins were some of the purge's most high-profile targets, and on the Jiajing Emperor's orders, a majority of the Assassins in China were killed. The few who survived either went into hiding or fled westward.

Time in Italy

Jun: "I want to understand."

Ezio: "Understand what?"

Jun: "How to lead, to rebuild my Order."

—Shao Jun asking Ezio for help, 1524.

Isolated, Shao Jun and Zhu Jiuyuan despaired and finally decided to leave the country in order to seek the help of other Assassins, to the former Italian Mentor Ezio Auditore, whose reputation had spread all over the world, a suggestion of Zhu to which Shao agreed. It was a long journey, and neither of them spoke Italian, but it was their only hope. The pair travelled secretly to Macau, where transportation was easiest towards Europe, in which they witnessed the crippled state of the Brotherhood's network in the country: most safe houses had been raided and no Assassin worthy of the name was left alive.

Shao Jun's first encounter with Ezio

By 1524, Shao Jun and her Mentor were able to travel as far as Venice, stashed aboard a Portuguese vessel transporting porcelain and silk. Once in Italy, the pair were oblivious to the fact that they were actually followed by Templar agents. Ambushed by elite soldiers armed with muskets, Zhu sacrificed himself so that Jun could escape alive.

Continuing onward, Jun arrived at Ezio Auditore's Tuscan villa, where she encountered Ezio's young daughter Flavia and began speaking with her. Though Ezio initially saw Shao Jun as a threat and fervently restrained her to protect his child, he released her after recognizing the Assassin insignia on the necklace she wore.

Later that day, Ezio and his wife Sofia Sartor confronted Shao Jun, who asked for aid in restoring her Order. Ezio, who had retired from his life as an Assassin, refused to associate himself with the Order again, and asked her to leave. However, Sofia, knowing that Jun had come a long way to meet Ezio, asked her to stay for the night. Shao Jun thanked Sofia, and accepted her offer.

Jun listening to Ezio

The next day, Jun came across Ezio's study and looked through some of the writings he had left on his desk. When Ezio discovered her, he furiously told her to leave, which Shao Jun soon obeyed. He then demanded that Shao Jun depart Italy entirely, stating that she had wasted her time looking for him. Jun, reciting a portion of Ezio's writing, responded that all she wanted was to understand the Order as he did.

Ezio finally admitted why he was so reluctant to help her, and invited her to accompany him to Florence, where she could assist him with the harvesting of his vineyard. There, Shao Jun observed the crowd as Ezio attended to his business. He then took her to the Palazzo della Signoria, where his father Giovanni and two brothers Federico and Petruccio had been hung in 1476. Ezio taught Shao Jun how the Assassins lived their lives through pain, in order to end pain for others.

Jun and Ezio in Florence

After the brief discussion, Ezio and Shao Jun prepared to return to the villa. On the way back however, the two were intercepted by an Imperial soldier in an alleyway. Despite the ambush, Shao Jun managed to kill the soldier with her footblade and quickly fled the city with Ezio. On the way to Ezio's villa, Shao Jun explained her plight, and informed him about those who were after her. Ezio told Sofia to bring their children to Niccolò Machiavelli's home, as he suspected that the soldiers would pursue Shao Jun to the villa.

Ezio trains Shao

That night, Ezio told Shao Jun the story of how he had defeated the Borgia family through fraternity and love, and how he had reformed the Brotherhood in both Rome and Constantinople. Shao Jun then rested for the night while Ezio kept watch from the living room. Soon enough, the villa was invaded by Imperial soldiers. The two Assassins fended off most of the attackers, with Ezio saving Shao Jun from the shot of a hand cannon held by a brutish soldier. Fleeing outside to avoid the devastating weapon, both Shao Jun and Ezio worked together to deal with the last foe. Though the soldier charged Ezio and pinned him to a tree, the elder Assassin managed to stab his enemy with an iron poker that he wielded as a sword. Shao Jun then helped Ezio recuperate from the unexpected exertion.

Return to China

Ezio: "It is a long way home, no?"

Shao Jun: "Much to see along the way. Thank you, Mentor."

—Shao Jun to Ezio, before departing for China, 1524.

Ezio handing Shao Jun a small box during her departure

The following morning, Shao Jun, with a renewed resolve, looked on to the horizon as Ezio approached her. Ezio stated that the trip back to China would be long, but Shao Jun replied that it would be worthwhile, with so much to see along the way. Before Shao Jun left, Ezio gave her a small chest that contained something which could aid her in the future, stating that she should only open it if she were to lose her way. As government guards came into view on horseback, Ezio bade Shao Jun to leave and gave her his blessing before they arrived. Shao Jun then departed Ezio's villa to return home to China.

An avid learner who loved to experience new cultures and societies, Shao Jun also travelled around Europe, notably Spain, to further her training. Reaching China in 1526, Shao Jun used a network of old abandoned Brotherhood safe houses and eventually sought out Wang Yangming, where she told him about her travels, the death of her Mentor, and Ezio Auditore. The Chinese master had not seen her since he helped her escape the Forbidden City, and was impressed by the accomplishments of the former Concubine who had now become a skilled killer, not only trained by Zhu Jiuyuan, but now also by the Italian legend. Adding to her skills, Shao Jun had created an invention of her own—complimenting her cat-like agility—the Shéng Biāo, or rope dart.

Further in their meeting, Shao Jun passed on the small chest to her new Master Wang Yangming, who to his astonishment explained its relevance as a Piece of Eden, a Precursor artifact. She then told Yangming what Ezio had told her, in that she should only open the box if she lost her way. Shao Jun confessed to being torn between the sacred mission to rebuild the Brotherhood and the burning desire to find and kill the Tigers who had murdered her friends. Thinking that the box would help her, she opened it, with Yangming as her witness, but found out that it was empty. Yangming then told her that the empty box was a message from an experienced man and that it was merely a tool she needed to fill herself, in order to realize her destiny.

But there was anger and rage in Shao Jun's heart. To recreate the Brotherhood, she would take the path of blood; the Tigers would have to perish by her hand, and on their very corpses would a new China flourish, free from the scheme of the Templar Order. She accepted Wang Yangming's instructions to use the Precursor box as bait to lure the Tigers out, and together with Yangming, they planned the Assassins' revenge against the Templars to restore their fallen Brotherhood.

Quest for vengeance

Gao Feng: "No wonder your kind fell so far."

Shao Jun: "My 'kind' isn't done yet."

—Shao Jun and Gao Feng, exchanging words during her imprisonment, 1526.

Shao Jun questioned by Gao Feng during her imprisonment

In 1526, Shao Jun used the box given to her by Ezio as bait and allowed herself to be imprisoned by Gao Feng, one of the Eight Tigers. She was taken to an old Assassin stronghold turned Templar secret prison, the Maijishan Grottoes, where Shao Jun remained silent when Feng questioned her about the origins and purpose of the box and only replied that she was exactly where she wanted to be, to Feng's irritation. After escaping her cell, she freed the Assassin informant Hong Liwei and retrieved the remaining Assassin scrolls. Shao Jun eventually killed Gao Feng and fled from the prison to meet her Mentor, Wang Yangming, who had also eliminated one of the Tigers, the torturer and "butcher" Ma Yongcheng. Though Jun was not able to retrieve the box, Yangming told her not to worry for they would find it in time.

Shao Jun reclaiming the box after assassinating Yu Dayong

Some time after, Yangming located the stolen box in Macau, in the hand of the third Tiger, Yu Dayong. Shao Jun infiltrated the city stronghold through the docks and quickly heard about three Portuguese merchants who had suddenly became rich and important after helping the Tigers and killing her allies. She assassinated them along with their master, Yu, and freed his personal slaves, reclaimed the box, and escaped the fire set in retaliation by Qiu Ju, the fourth Tiger. The fire had killed many innocents, much to Shao Jun's dismay, to which she blamed her desire for revenge. Yangming warned her about the vengeance she sought, although in line with the Assassin cause, he added that it was an endeavor that could not be put in her heart, just as Ezio had told her before.

A grieving Shao Jun beside her dying Mentor

Three years later, to get to the leader of the Tigers, Zhang Yong, Shao Jun traveled to Nan'an to kill the fifth Tiger, Wei Bin, who had led the slaughter of the Chinese Brotherhood. The words of Yangming still echoed in her mind and hatred was too strong in her heart. To leave room for peace, she decided to pay her respects in the shrines for her brothers who were murdered by the Snake. After crossing the guarded bridge of Nan'an, Shao Jun killed three of Wei's bodyguards before assassinating him. As Wei Bin died, he told Shao Jun that Zhang Yong was hunting Wang Yangming, who was also in the city to meet a contact able to study the box. Shao Jun immediately left to save her Mentor but arrived too late, witnessing Zhang Yong killing Yangming and claiming the box again. After killing the rest of Zhang Yong's soldiers, Jun apologized to her deceased Mentor and realized that there was no good in taking revenge if she kept losing those she cared for.

Shao Jun, entrapped by Qiu Ju and Zhang Yong through Zhang's betrayal

Now the very last Chinese Assassin, Shao Jun was contacted in 1530 by Empress Zhang, Shao Jun's former concubine friend, who had a lead on Zhang Yong's location. To meet her, Shao Jun infiltrated the Forbidden City and saved Zhang's concubines who helped her pass the information. Shao Jun was horrified to find that Zhang Yong and Qiu Ju had threatened the Empress to set a trap, for which she forgave her friend and understood the risk Zhang had to take if she refused. The Templars mocked her, saying that the Assassins were too trusting, and that was how they had destroyed the Brotherhood and killed her Mentor. As Shao Jun dueled Qiu while Zhang Yong fled, lanterns dropped during the fight spread fire across the city. After killing Qiu, Jun was forced to escape with a leap of faith into a nearby river.

Zhang Yong's assassination

In 1532, Shao Jun pursued Zhang Yong, the last Tiger, to the Great Wall of China, where she learned his plans to let the Mongols of Altan Khan invade the country, in return for a seat in power after the outcome. In response, she killed the Mongol scouts and closed the Wall's gates, blocking the barbarians from entering her home. When Shao Jun finally reached Zhang Yong, she learned that he had already sent the Precursor box to other Templars outside China, though she rebutted that retrieving the box was another Assassin's destiny, and hers was to eliminate him.

A vow of a new tomorrow made by Shao Jun

Among the chaos of bombardment from the infuriated Mongols, she eventually reached Zhang Yong and assassinated him, eliminating the last Tiger and Templar influence in China. As Zhang Yong died, Shao Jun realized that pursuing vengeance was pointless, and that she had found a better goal: the future. Shao Jun vowed to rebuild the Chinese Assassin Brotherhood and bring a new tomorrow for China and freedom for its people.

Mentor of the Chinese Assassins

"I will undo all that you have done. I will rebuild the Brotherhood and recruit those who wish to make our land a place of freedom, those ready to die to fight men like you. Your Templar world will not happen. The Assassins will rise again."

―Shao Jun to Zhang Yong, 1532.

An elder Shao Jun serving as the Mentor of the Chinese Brotherhood

Shao Jun eventually succeeded in her reconstruction of the Chinese Assassins, recruiting new members and obtaining the title of Mentor. By 1567, she was a wise elder who shared her knowledge with the younger members of the Brotherhood while tasking others to accomplish various missions. As such, she planned the death of the Jiajing Emperor, sending Assassins to offer him the elixir of life, while in fact it was a lethal dose of mercury.

Legacy

"A Sheng Biao—or rope dart, if you prefer. One of the many plans given to us by Shao Jun."

―Achilles Davenport introducing the rope dart to his student, Ratonhnhaké:ton, 1773.

Shao Jun's rope dart

Some time following her encounter with Ezio Auditore, Shao Jun introduced her rope dart to the Assassin Order, a weapon that allowed its user to hang foes from horizontal objects such as tree branches, as well as to yank those caught by it from their feet. Rope darts would eventually be used by Assassins during the 18th century, most notably by Edward Kenway, Adéwalé, Shay Cormac, and Ratonhnhaké:ton, though they did not utilize the invention to the same manner of efficiency that Shao Jun had, especially in traversal.

Moreover, she brought Ezio's Precursor box to China, where it remained for about a hundred years after her death. Her actions almost destroyed Chinese Templars and rebuilt the Brotherhood, bringing China under Assassins' influence.

In July 1918, a copy of Shao Jun's genetic memories somehow contained in the Precursor box bonded with Russian Princess Anastasia Nikolaevna, when the girl came in contact with both the box and a shard from the Staff of Eden formerly owned by her family as the Imperial Sceptre. As she was tracked by both the Templars and the Red Army, Anastasia used Shao Jun's memories to learn freerunning and how to fight.

In 2015 while a Helix Initiate was reliving the memories of the twins Jacob and Evie Frye, Shao Jun's outfit was available as an Animus mod that could be applied to Evie Frye. By 2016, Abstergo Industries had recovered Shao Jun's equipment and brought it to their Abstergo Foundation facility in Madrid, Spain. Her descendant Lin later used it during the Assassins' escape from the facility. In 2019, another descendant of Shao Jun, Lisa Huang, better known as Kō Risa, was brought to an Abstergo clinic under the guise of treating her mental illness, but in reality was made to explore the memories of her ancestor to learn the location of Shao Jun's "treasure".

Personality and traits

"I want to understand, like you do. To help my people."

―Jun speaking with Ezio, 1524.

Shao Jun standing watch at Ezio's villa

Shao Jun had a strong desire for knowledge, specifically in learning about how the Assassin Order functioned and how its members lived their lives. She would search for information when none was given to her, even going against the wishes of others for her own clarity, as evidenced by her invasion of Ezio's study. Despite this, Shao Jun was sincere about her interest to understand her Order, and took Ezio's lessons and lectures to heart. She was fairly approachable in personality, having a sort of naive innocence that contrasted with the then-elderly Ezio's gruffness and desire to distance himself from the Assassin's Order.

She remained on-guard at all times, keeping a close eye on her surroundings for any possible threats. Because of this, she was somewhat restless, often staying up at night and preparing for an attack instead of sleeping.

She also loved to experience and learn from new cultures and societies, and was often excited about the opportunity to understand people of different nationalities other than her own.

Even in training, Shao Jun seemed incapable of staying her hand when a Templar was in sight. During her quest of revenge against the Chinese Templars, she appeared colder and more vengeful, sometimes stabbing her targets multiple times with her jian when assassinating them. Similarly, if Princess Anastasia while lost in her persona and speaking under her influence is anything to go by, she became sufficiently ruthless and brutal that she would react violently just to being pushed, telling Nikolai Orelov that, were he not an Assassin like her, she'd kill him where he stood in retaliation.

Equipment and skills

Shao Jun utilizing her Hidden Footblade

With maturity, Shao Jun adapted her techniques to her physical strengths and weaknesses. Unhappy with the wrist blade of the Assassins, she designed a lighter and more versatile one, better suited to the martial arts. Hidden under her left boot, the Hidden Footblade allowed her to perform deadly kicks in the midst of a close combat. Shao Jun wielded a Chinese jian as her primary weapon, and her sword skills were perfected in the dark alleys of the city, fighting off Templar agents. While she had no ordinary Hidden Blade, she did have a total of six throwing needles tucked under her bracers as secondary weapons. Accompanying this, she developed the rope dart after her journey to Italy, using it to swing across gaps or climb up to ceilings, and also employed firecrackers, throwing knives and noise-creating darts to distract guards.

Shao Jun crossing narrow pathways to reach another location

Shao Jun was born with a gift of stealth and agility that made her stand out from all the other Concubines. Her talent for killing was as graceful as it was efficient, and the Master used to refer to her style as a "dance of death". She was extensively trained in combat by the Order, and was an adept and agile fighter. Her fighting style was heavily reminiscent of the Chinese martial art of Wushu, which involves ample flexibility and knowledge in both unarmed and sword combat. She also possessed Eagle Vision and used it to detect the path of guards, and the area of effect for dogs, birds and wind chimes. She was also highly agile beyond the range of many Assassins, capable of dodging incoming gunfire, thrown weaponry, and crossbow bolts.

Shao Jun's arsenal of weapons were fitted for her style of combat, as they were light yet deadly. To lower suspicion in public areas, she concealed her weapons in her attire, save for her jian, which she kept sheathed across her back. Shao Jun had at least a basic grasp of Italian, being able to say "grazie" to Sofia after she was allowed to stay at the villa, and was also able to understand Ezio even if he spoke in the language.

Behind the scenes

Shao Jun is a character first introduced in the short film Assassin's Creed: Embers where she was voiced by Angela Galuppo. She later appeared in her own spin-off title, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China voiced by Annabelle Galea. In Assassin's Creed: Turbulence in the Ming Dynasty, she was voiced by Chinese actress Liu Yan.

Name

Name discrepancies

In accordance with Chinese naming custom, Shao Jun's surname is Shao and her personal name is Jun. However, there has been major discrepancies in regards to the latter.

The name is romanized from Mandarin Chinese via the pinyin system that is standard in the People's Republic of China, and from its spelling, it should be pronounced /ʂau̯.tɕyn/ in Mandarin, which in turn can be best approximated into English as /ˈʃaʊ.ˈdʒuːn/ (i.e. "shao-joon").

However, her name Jun is pronounced in her debut appearance in Embers as /ˈjuːn/ (i.e. "yoon") by Ezio Auditore and Sofia Sartor alike, with Jun even affirming to Sofia that her pronunciation is correct. In other words, the characters pronounce the ⟨j⟩ as an English ⟨y⟩, as it would be in most Germanic languages, in the International Phonetic Alphabet, and in the Cantonese Jyutping romanization system. This is incorrect because the ⟨j⟩ in the pinyin system represents a Mandarin phoneme that corresponds closest to the English ⟨j⟩. Shao Jun should be pronounced in English exactly as it is spelled.

The mistake initially appeared to have been rectified in Assassin's Creed III and the standard release of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, where the characters pronounce the name correctly with the English ⟨j⟩, yet this did not resolve the issue because already in the Chinese language edition of Embers, Shao Jun's name was given as 邵雲 (Shào Yún). In the same vein, the 2019 manga adaptation Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun published in Japan gives her name as シャオ・ユン (rōmaji: Shao Yun).

The initial error in Embers therefore kicked-off confusion as to her real name in Chinese and among Chinese audiences. Chinese fans have substituted her name with variations, a notable one being 邵君 (Shào Jūn), as 君 (Jūn) is a common feminine name. Exacerbating this problem is that her name in the Chinese versions of Chronicles: China and Assassin's Creed: Rebellion has been revised to 少芸 (Shǎo Yún), maintaining the Yun pronunciation over Jun but changing the characters of both names. In Chinese, this is equivalent to giving her an entirely different name.

Ultimately, these discrepancies makes it unclear if her name is mispronounced in the short film or if it has instead been consistently misspelled across all English Assassin's Creed media. In practice, she has two different names in European language versions of Assassin's Creed and East Asian language versions of Assassin's Creed.

Name meanings

The three main variations for Shao Jun's name are 邵雲 (Shào Yún), 邵君 (Shào Jūn), 少芸 (Shǎo Yún).

Shào (邵) is one of the most common surnames of that pronunciation. It originates from the name of an ancient Chinese state and is largely meaningless. Shǎo (少) simply means 'little [of something]', 'small', or 'junior'. This surname was recorded in the Tang dynasty (618–907) Yuánhé Xìngzuǎn 《元和姓纂》. However, since the Song dynasty (960–1279), the name has disappeared from all known records of Chinese family names. Because of this, Shǎo (少) appears to be an anachronistic surname for the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).

As for the variants of her given name, Yún (雲; simplified: 云) means 'cloud'. Jūn (君) is a common female name that literally means 'monarch' or 'ruler' and is used to translate the English title 'lord', therefore carrying the connotations of an 'honorable' or 'noble person'. Yún (芸) refers to the Ruta graveolens plant.

Lore inconsistencies

There are a few inconsistencies in lore regarding Shao Jun, particularly with her birth date. In Scroll 1 of Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China, it is stated that she was born in 1506, but the Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun manga gives her birth date as 1500 while the second edition of Assassin's Creed: The Essential Guide gives it as 1505.

Other discrepancies concern the location where she first meets Ezio Auditore and where she positions her Hidden Footblade. The Assassin's Creed Encyclopedia states that she meets him in Florence, but Assassin's Creed: Embers depicts their first encounter as taking place at his villa in the Tuscan countryside. Blade of Shao Jun and Scroll 10 of Chronicles: China state that her Hidden Footblade is hidden underneath her left boot, and although it is not impossible for her to change its position, the film Embers, Chronicles: China gameplay, and the novel Assassin's Creed: The Ming Storm all have it equipped on her right foot.

Anachronisms

Aside from her surname being likely anachronistic if it is actually Shǎo (少) and not Shào (邵), Shao Jun's attire is also anachronistic for the Ming period (1368–1644) since its style only arose under the Qing dynasty (1644–1911).

Merchandise

On 16 November, 2011, it was announced that the Ubiworkshop Store was releasing a replica of Shao Jun's necklace that could be bought for $24.99 USD, or the equivalent in the regional currency. One month later, UbiWorkshop announced that limited edition red and black versions were available for purchase.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Embers (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations (novel)
• Assassin's Creed III (mentioned in Database entry only)
• Assassin's Creed: Rogue (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles: China
• Assassin's Creed: Unity (appears on Helix Navigator only)
• Assassin's Creed Unity: Abstergo Entertainment – Employee Handbook (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia
• Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
• Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun
• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple (mentioned only, as as "Xiao Yun")
• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood of Venice – Apocalypse
• Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game

Non-canonical appearances

• Assassin's Creed: The Ming Storm
• Assassin's Creed: The Desert Threat
• Assassin's Creed: Turbulence in the Ming Dynasty
• Assassin's Creed: Freerunners

An image gallery is available for Shao Jun