Lung Shen Li

Character Profile

Name:	Lung Shen Li
Date of Birth:
Breed:	Shen-Lung?
Captain:	None
National Loyalty:	China
Appearance:	Pink and pale orange cream, mostly wings
Special Abilities:
Status:	Active

Biography

Lung Shen Li was one of four dragons bred for a somewhat new Chinese breed that should be able to fly for long periods of time. She could easily stay in the air for more than three days at a time. It was said that similar dragons were bred by the Ming Dynasty, so the Chinese knew which matings would produce the preferred results. However, during the period of Chinese isolationism (encouraged by Prince Yongxing), there was no need for such dragons and they died out. Prince Mianning gave orders that they should be brought back, for trade purposes, and within three years Lung Shen Li and her year-mates were hatched. Though she is the only one who can fly more than two or three days at a time.

Lung Shen Li was sent to the Australian continent and ferried goods between the natives and the Chinese at the port of Larrakia. In flight, she was easily able to outstrip Temeraire without so much as noticing his pursuit. Temeraire felt there was something "peculiar" about her, as she would sit for hours and hours without saying a word, and when he would ask what she was thinking she would say she was trying not to think. This suggests, perhaps, that the Chinese encountered similar difficulties to the British when creating a breed, like the Greyling, suitable for long distance flights.

Name

Based on the general structure of Chinese names for dragons, Shen was the identifier for her breed, so it is possible that she was a variety of Shen-Lung.

However, unlike other Chinese dragons, she was referred to as "Shen Li" not simply "Li". This may indicate that her new breed had been given a different name with an audibly different tone than the shen in the pre-existing Shen-Lung.