Li Shizhen (李時珍) is a character promo made available during the Taiwan crowdfunding campaign and again during the Kickstarter campaign.
Li Shizhen was called a boy genius for passing the college exams to become a Xiucai (秀才) at the young age of 14. But despite his best efforts, he could not pass the triennial provincial exams to become a Juren, and quit after three tries.
However, he eventually became a well-regarded doctor, and after three decades of extensive research, he authored the largest encyclopedia of oriental medicine and herbology ever written, the 本草綱目 (Bencao Gangmu) or translated as Compendium of Materia Medica.
When utilized as a player's Scholar, Li Shizhen will grant them double the Discard Bonus on their turns. As an Assistant, a player may spend $1 to activate a Discard Bonus on their used or drafted tiles. All together, Li Shizhen is a highly adaptable and practical character to use.
—description from the publisher