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| Kwai Chang Caine | |
|---|---|
| Kung Fu character | |
 | |
| First appearance | Kung Fu |
| Created by | Ed Spielman |
| Portrayed by | David Carradine (adult)[1] Keith Carradine (younger) Radames Pera (child) Stephen Manley (youngest) |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Shaolin Priest |
| Family | Danny Caine (half-brother) |
| Religion | Taoism, Chan Buddhism |
| Nationality | Chinese |
Kwai Chang Caine (Chinese: 虔官昌; pinyin: Qián Guānchāng) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ABC 1972–1975 action-adventure western television series Kung Fu.[2] He has been portrayed by David Carradine as an adult Caine, Keith Carradine as a younger Caine, Radames Pera as the child Caine, and Stephen Manley as the youngest Caine.
In late 19th-century China, Kwai Chang Caine was the orphaned son of an American man and a Chinese woman. He was raised in a Shaolin Monastery in Hunan Province and was trained by the monks to be a Shaolin master. Kwai Chang Caine follows his adventures as he travels to the American Old West (armed only with his skill in martial arts) as he seeks his half-brother, Danny Caine. Although it was his intention to find his brother Danny in a way that would escape notice, the demands of his training as a priest in addition to his sense of social responsibility, which was instilled within him during his childhood, forced Caine to repeatedly come into the open to fight for justice. He would then leave his new surroundings in a further search for anonymity and security.
In the Shaolin arts, monks live in temples and most stay their entire lives. Once they become masters and leave the temple, they are referred to as "priests". In real-world Shaolin, both monks and priests shave their heads and some remain celibate. However, Caine grew his hair long and occasionally had intimate relations with women in the series.
- ^ Weber, Bruce (2009-06-05). "David Carradine, Actor, Is Dead at 72". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- ^ "Martial Arts Myths". Inside Kung Fu. Archived from the original on July 27, 2013. Retrieved 2010-05-11.