A teenage girl from Samarkand who was travelling in the caravan of Marco Polo when it encountered the stranded TARDIS crew on the Plateau of Pamir, in the Himalayas. She was on her way to the summer palace of Kublai Khan, there to enter into an arranged marriage with an elderly courtier.
She quickly bonded with the Doctor's grand-daughter Susan and the pair became firm friends. Both were suspicious of a Tartar warlord named Tegana who accompanied them - supposedly a peace envoy, but secretly intent on assassinating the Khan. Following him from their camp one night, Ping-Cho and Susan became lost in the desert during a sandstorm, but were rescued by Marco and Ian Chesterton.
At one of the way stations along their route, they gave goldfish nicknames based on who amongst the party they resembled. Ping-Cho also entertained the caravan one evening, reciting the tale of Ala Ed Din and the forty thieves.
Even though she knew that it would bring their friendship to an end, Ping-Cho decided to steal back the TARDIS key which Marco had confiscated - intent on giving the ship to the Khan to win his freedom to go home to Venice. Fearing what would happen, and unhappy at her impending nuptials, she ran away from the caravan at another station - only to be robbed of her money. Ian brought her safely back.
On finally being introduced to the Khan, she learned that her husband-to-be had taken a revitalising elixir - and promptly dropped dead.
The Khan invited her to stay with him in Peking. She had become enamoured of a young servant of his - the dashing young messenger Ling-Tau.
Played by: Zienia Merton. Appearances: Marco Polo (1964)
- Merton is best known for her regular role as Moonbase Alpha's Sandra Benes in Space:1999.
- In 2009 she appeared as the Registrar officiating at The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith.
- She was the reader of the audiobook of Marco Polo in 2018, but sadly passed away a few months before it was released.
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