Lo-Pan

infobox Actor
bgcolor= blue
name = Lo Pan


caption = James Hong as David Lo Pan
birthdate = 272 B.C.E.
location = China flagicon|China
deathdate = 1986
deathplace = San Francisco, CA
othername = David Lo Pan

Lo-Pan is a fictional character portrayed by actor James Hong in the 1986 comedy/action film "Big Trouble in Little China", directed by John Carpenter.Lo-Pan is somewhat inspired by Dr. Fu Manchu, a fictional character first featured in a series of novels by English author Sax Rohmer during the first half of the 20th century. The character was also featured extensively in cinema, television, radio, comic strips and comic books for over 90 years, and has become an archetype of evil criminal genius while inspiring the Fu Manchu moustache.

Biography

Centuries ago, Lo Pan, a great warrior, was defeated in battle by the First Sovereign Emperor Qin Shi Huang. The Emperor placed upon Lo Pan the curse of No Flesh. Although Lo Pan can be temporarily granted a decrepit body by supplication to the gods, in order to permanently break the curse and regain his human form, he must marry a woman with green eyes. Simply marrying her will please Ching Dai, the God of the East. But to satisfy the Emperor, he must sacrifice her. Not much is known about his time after his death.

Lo Pan is first seen for only a brief moment when Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) turns around while driving his truck and sees a ghostly mandarin in red robes, a "ten foot tall roadblock," beckoning him to run him over, which Jack does. Also at this time, a trio of unknown warriors decend from the heavens into the battlefield that Jack and his friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) stumbled onto. These three are identified as the Three Storms – Thunder, Lightning, and Rain.

He is next mentioned as David Lo-Pan, the head of the Wing Kong Import-Export Trading Company. He is also in charge of the street gang, the Wing Kong (known for their red sashes and turbans). It is revealed that Lo-Pan arranged for the assassination of the leader of the Chang Sings, a rival street gang (whose Chinese standoff Jack and Wang Chi were at). Wang Chi's uncle refers to Lo Pan's curse, calling him "only a dream". During this time we learn that kidnapping of Miao Yin (Suzee Pai), Wang Chi's fiancée, was ordered by Lo Pan. When next we see Lo Pan, he is a decrepit old man in a wheelchair. He describes his curse, and that Ching Dai has promised him that if he finds a very special girl with green eyes he is able to transcend his weakened mortal form and ascend to a greater existence and rule the world. Miao Yin is clearly the next hopeful for Lo Pan. When Jack comments that it shouldn't take two thousand years to find a girl, Lo Pan does say that there have been others, but clearly none of them were suitable.

After Jack insults him, Lo Pan has Jack and Wang thrown into the Hell of the Upside Down Sinner, and we witness the transformation from his mortal form into that of the ethereal appearance as seen earlier in the film. In this state we see him glide on air, move through tables and walls, and be unable to interact with any other physical being. We see Miao Yin, garbed ceremonially and lying suspended in mid air. We learn that Thunder, Lightning, and Wind all serve Lo Pan, during a ceremony in which Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall) and Miao Yin are to be tested to see if they can end his curse. When both girls pass the test, Lo Pan decides to marry both women.

Later, as the time approaches for Lo Pan's wedding, it is revealed by a tour bus driver and local mystic expert/sorcerer Egg Shen (Victor Wong) of the second condition of the curse – to appease the Emperor, the girl he marries must be killed. Via telepathic contact through a guardian of Lo Pan, everyone's worst fears are confirmed by Lo Pan himself. With both women as his brides, he can sacrifice Gracie Law to the Emperor and keep Miao Yin for himself. At his wedding, after succeeding in using the Needle of Love to "marry" Miao Yin, Egg Shen, Wang Chi, Jack, and several Chang Sings crash the party, and Lo Pan enters mystical combat with Egg Shen. After using his powers to deflect a crystal missile, Egg Shen pulls out of his Six Demon Bag a purple jewel, and Lo Pan puts his fingers together to project a green beam. The beams from the gem and Lo Pan meet, creating a pair of Chinese warriors with swords. After a battle of wills between the two that causes the warriors to fight, they simultaneously strike each other down, and Lo Pan states "You never could beat me", implying that the pair had fought each other before. Lo Pan finally makes his escape, and Lightning cuts off his escape route.

Lo Pan is finally confronted by Jack and Gracie, where he is preparing to have Miao Yin killed by Thunder. Jack tries to throw his dagger at Lo Pan but misses. Lo Pan retrieves the knife, attempting to use it to kill Jack, but Jack grabs it before it hits and reflexively throws the dagger back into Lo Pan's head, killing him.

Other media

* James Hong, the actor that portrayed David Lo Pan, reprised the role in the 2001 Sci Fi Channel series "The Chronicle" episode "Here There Be Dragons". [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0393222/ Internet Movie Database filmography for James Hong] ]
* James Hong again played a Lo Pan, in the NBC series Chuck in 2007. Although in the episode "Chuck Versus the Sizzling Shrimp", the character was named Ben Lo Pan and did not have mystical powers, the series has been known to drop such pop culture references into its script. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0393222/ Internet Movie Database filmography for James Hong] ]

*Lo Pan is an eccentric oracle who offers advice and shares all that pleases him with the world via http://www.asklopan.com. Alongside Lindsay Lohan, Lo Pan offers his take on what he would do with any presented problem.

* Many fans of the video game Mortal Kombat that came of age in the 1980s notice a similarity between Raiden and the Storm "Lightning" in the film. Raiden and Shang Tsung were inspired by "Lightning" and "Lo Pan". John Tobias has confirmed this.Fact|date=February 2007

*Lo Pan is the name of a non-player character (an evil martial arts practitioner in San Francisco's Chinatown) in the computer game Fallout 2.

* From "Book of Chantries", a supplement, chapter 3 page 119::"In Chicago's Chinatown there is a being of great power and unspeakable evil. He is called the Jade Demon... known as... "Lo Pan"... The Jade Demon has two basic forms. On Earth, he is a feeble, nearly bald Chinese man who looks at least 100. In his Horizon Realm, he resembles a Chinese mandarin in the prime of life... Sometimes he grows his fingernails to extreme lengths..."

* The 1994 PC game Master of Magic lets the player portray a wizard attempting to dominate a fantasy world; the player can customize and name their own wizard, or use one of the "pre-generated" wizards... one of whom is an Asian wizard named Lo Pan.

* Lo-Pan appears in The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny as one of the characters that helps defeat Chuck Norris.

References

http://www.asklopan.com