Pao

"earth"

- What's going on here? Are you trying to poach my tea maker?

Pao is the owner of the Pao Family Tea House in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se, although it is implied he is not talented at brewing tea. Pao is a courteous man who is protective of his business, and appreciates his employees.

History


When Pao hired Iroh and Zuko, his business began to prosper because of Iroh's remarkable talent for brewing tea. Everything went well until Quon came along. Quon was a higher class citizen who had heard about Iroh's tea-making skills. When he offered Iroh his own tea shop and an apartment in the upper ring of the city, Pao tried everything he could to keep Iroh, including offering numerous job promotions. Excited, Iroh accepted Quon's offer, much to the distress of Pao.

After the fall of Ba Sing Se, Pao was seen cowering in his tea shop as thousands of Fire Nation soldiers invaded the city unopposed. He is not seen during the remainder of the series. It is likely he resumed selling tea after the Order of the White Lotus liberated Ba Sing Se, but it is also likely that business went down after Iroh left.