Wan Shi Tong's Library


 * This article is about a place. For the episode by a similar name, see "The Library". For the spirit who owns this library, see Wan Shi Tong. 

Wan Shi Tong's Library is an enormous library buried within the Si Wong Desert.

History


The library holds a vast, ancient collection of books, built by the knowledge spirit Wan Shi Tong in the Spirit World. He later transported it to the real world to collect and preserve all of the world's knowledge with the assistance from his Knowledge Seekers. At one point in time the library was accessible to humans, as Wan Shi Tong hoped they would benefit from the vast amount of information. Though it can be assumed the collection was greatly enjoyed, other humans sought secrets that would destroy their enemies. Angered by the abuse of knowledge, the spirit closed the library.

Eventually the location of the library was lost to mankind. Though the building of the library is the size of a large palace, most of it lay buried beneath the sands of the desert, with only its utmost spire visible from above ground. At one time, though, then-Lieutenant Zhao stumbled across the library. Because of the library's other-worldly origins, its collection contains a great amount of information concerning the spirits. From this, Zhao learned that the Ocean and Moon spirits, Tui and La, were located at the Spirit Oasis, and were the key to defeating the Water Tribe. The portion of the library concerning the Fire Nation was destroyed, presumably by Zhao to stop anyone from discovering his nation's own weakness.

With the help of Professor Zei, Team Avatar rediscovered the library. Wan Shi Tong grudgingly allowed Team Avatar to peruse the library after each had made a contribution to the collection, and on the condition that no knowledge from the library would be used for violent purposes. The group found an advanced, domed planetary calender room in the library. Using its gears, cogs, crystal-projected stars, as well as several rotating planets, the planetarium acts as a kind of almanac, illustrating both recorded history as well as projected future planetary alignments. This calendar revealed the date of the upcoming solar eclipse to Team Avatar; this information they used to create The Invasion plan.



Outraged at the betrayal of his trust by the team, Wan Shi Tong completely buried the library, including the spire. He specifically said he was "taking his knowledge back", which may mean he returned the library to the Spirit World. While Team Avatar escaped, Zei stayed behind, stating that he could spend an eternity there.

Known information kept at the library

 * A knot made by Sokka.
 * A first edition tome donated by Professor Zei.
 * The Waterbending Scroll.
 * A Fire Nation wanted poster of Aang.
 * Information about Spirits.
 * Information on past Avatars.
 * Information on the Day of Black Sun.
 * Astronomical instruments.
 * Pictures of a Lion Turtle.
 * Star Charts.

Trivia

 * In an illustration displaying the library as a whole, it retains an appearance similar to that of the Taj Mahal. The buried library's implied massive size is also reference to the mausoleum's most conspicuous characteristic.




 * Avatar Extras in "The Library" reveal that the writing at the bottom of the Library's illustration reads 萬知堂神祕图書館, meaning "Wan Shi Tong's Mysterious Library".
 * One of the books within the library illustrates a Lion Turtle.
 * On the domed calendar's mechanism are the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac on it, which represents the year, though it's unusual, since most animals in the Avatar world are hybrids.
 * There are many depictions of owls in the library, the owl is the symbol of the Greek goddess Athena, who is also the goddess of wisdom.
 * The concept of having to contribute to the library's collection before being able to use it may have been inspired by Umberto Eco's novel "The Name of the Rose," where the abbey's library may not be used without a priceless manuscript being handed to the abbot.
 * There seems to be an error concerning the bridges in the center of the library. When Aang and the others enter, the bridges are "+" shaped, offering four paths of access. Yet near the end of the episode when Wan Shi Tong is chasing the group, the brides now only go one way across.
 * A mysterious library is believed to be somewhere deep beneath Moscow, Russia. It first belonged to Ivan III and his wife, eventually got passed down to Ivan V ("the Terrible"), But Ivan the Terrible died without telling anyone where it is. This mysterious real world underground library may have been part of the inspiration for Wan Shi Tong's underground library.

Notable Figures

 * Wan Shi Tong
 * Knowledge Seekers