"I'm not leaving ... I can't ... I've spent too long trying to find this place ... There's not another collection of knowledge like this on Earth ... I could spend an eternity in here."

— Professor Zei to Team Avatar upon finding Wan Shi Tong's Library.[1]

Professor Zei was the head of the anthropology department at Ba Sing Se University. An ambitious cultural anthropologist, he was well-traveled and highly educated in exotic cultures. Zei was an eccentric man to whom knowledge was priceless, and his thirst for knowledge brought him to strange, remote, and often dangerous places. He became excited at the prospect of learning anything about history or the world around him. A map of his travels showed he had been everywhere in the world except the Fire Nation. Even though he had discovered many lost civilizations over the years, he longed to find the "crown jewel" of all ancient discoveries: Wan Shi Tong's Library.^[1][2]

Quick Answers

What was Professor Zei's role at Ba Sing Se University?

At Ba Sing Se University, Professor Zei served as the head of the anthropology department. He was a well-traveled and highly educated cultural anthropologist. Zei taught a class on desert cultures and was known for his ambitious pursuit of knowledge, often traveling to remote and dangerous locations. His eccentricity was marked by his belief in the priceless value of knowledge.

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What was Professor Zei's main motivation in his travels?

Professor Zei, a cultural anthropologist, was motivated by an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. His travels, which spanned the globe, were driven by his desire to learn about history and different cultures. His ultimate goal was to discover Wan Shi Tong's Library, the 'crown jewel' of ancient discoveries.

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How did Zei meet Team Avatar?

Professor Zei met Team Avatar at the Misty Palms Oasis while preparing another expedition into the Si Wong Desert to find Wan Shi Tong's Library. He provided them with a more up-to-date map and after revealing he had made several trips into the desert, joined their group as they prepared to search the desert from the sky on Appa.

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What happened to Zei in Wan Shi Tong's Library?

After discovering the library he had been searching for, Zei and Team Avatar began perusing the collection of books it held, and was later impressed by the mechanical marvel of the planetarium. After Wan Shi Tong discovered the group had betrayed his trust, he began to sink his library into the ground. Zei attempted to grab as many books as he could, but eventually relented, deciding to stay behind and a be buried with them. He ultimately died in the library, with his skeletal remains witnessed by Jinora many decades later when she visited the library.

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History

Zei attempted to find Wan Shi Tong's Library several times, but failed in every attempt. Although he knew the library was somewhere in the uncrossable Si Wong Desert, he never managed to find it on his own.

However, in 100 AG, he met Avatar Aang and his friends at the Misty Palms Oasis while preparing another expedition into the desert. The professor quickly befriended the group, interested in meeting a living Air Nomad. He asked questions about the Air Nomads, including their primary agricultural product, though the Avatar was overwhelmed by these questions. Sokka quickly turned the conversation toward maps, and though Zei was able to provide the group with a more up-to-date map, he was unable to provide them with one that included the Fire Nation. The team discovered that the professor had made several trips into the Si Wong Desert, and Zei informed them about his quest to find the missing library. Sokka became interested in assisting the professor in finding the library, believing that there might be information about the Fire Nation there, but Zei warned them of the difficulty in crossing the desert, noting that he had almost died in every attempt. The group decided to search the desert from the sky by riding on Appa, and Zei was thrilled to meet the bison, wishing that he could speak the flying bison's language.

After a few hours of searching, they stopped to investigate what appeared to be a tall, slender tower, but upon observing a Knowledge Seeker entering the structure, they realized it was the top of the library, which had been mostly buried in sand. Zei entered the library, marveling at its architecture, along with Aang, Sokka, and Katara. He easily passed Wan Shi Tong's test of knowledge by contributing a book to the library, which was found pleasing to the spirit being. The professor proceeded to peruse the library along with the rest of group, and later pointed out the Knowledge Seeker trying to help Sokka find information about the "darkest day in Fire Nation history". Zei was greatly impressed by the mechanical marvel of the planetarium, which Sokka was using to find information that could be to the group's advantage against the Fire Nation.

When Wan Shi Tong discovered that the group had betrayed his trust and were planning to use his information against the Fire Nation, he sank his library to prevent humans from accessing his knowledge ever again. As the members of Team Avatar made their escape, Zei tried desperately to grab as many books as he could. Eventually, he simply declared that he would rather "spend an eternity" in the library than lose all of his life's work.^[1] Zei ultimately died in the library, inadvertently fulfilling his wish.^[3]

Legacy

Despite his disappearance, Zei remained a known figure among historians, as even Aang's granddaughter, Jinora, came to learn about Zei's story during her studies. Seventy years following the relocation of the library to the Spirit World, she arrived at Wan Shi Tong's Library, stating that she could spend her life reading in the building. Wan Shi Tong informed her that the last human who had said that was still there, before motioning toward the skeletal remains of Professor Zei, which were slumped against a bookshelf and surrounded by books and scrolls. He explained that this was why he no longer allowed humans in his library and demanded that she leave.^[3]

Personality

Zei was very enthusiastic about anything related to knowledge, as seen when he excitedly questioned Aang about his nation's culture after noticing that he was an Air Nomad, and when he decided to stay and "spend an eternity" in Wan Shi Tong's library rather than leave with Team Avatar.^[1]

Appearances

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Book Two: Earth (土)

• 210. "The Library"

The Legend of Korra

Book Two: Spirits (神靈)

• 210. "A New Spiritual Age" ^{(no lines)}

Trivia

Avatar Wiki has 4 images related to Zei.

• Avatar Extras for "The Library" stated that Zei may have ended up in the Spirit World; this was later confirmed to be true in "A New Spiritual Age".
• A student in Ba Sing Se that Team Avatar interrogates mentions Professor Zei in "City of Walls and Secrets".
• Zei appeared in the tenth episode of the second book of each Avatar series.
• Isabella Boettcher, creative executive for Avatar Studios, expressed the belief that Zei did not starve to death in Wan Shi Tong's Library but was supplied with food by the Knowledge Seekers until his eventual death.^[4]
• ZEI is the German abbreviation for the Center for European Integration Studies (German: Zentrum für Europäische Integrationsforschung), a research institute at the University of Bonn, Germany.^[5]

References