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Lao Che

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"Don't be sad, Dr. Jones. You will soon be joining him."
―Lao Che to Indiana Jones, after Wu Han is killed.[src]

Lao Che was a ruthless Chinese crime lord who made a number of attempts on the life of Indiana Jones in the early 1930s. Lao was the father of three sons: Chen, Kao Kan and another. All three of his children had different mothers.

Biography[]

Early life[]

A descendant of the Manchu Dynasty's first emperor Nurhachi,[5] Lao Che was born in 1885.[2] Based in Shanghai, China, Lao Che became one of the city's most notorious gangsters by using his sharp mind and ruthlessness to work his way up from being a petty thief and loan shark,[4] making his fortune in opium and white slavery.[3]

Obiwan

Club Obi Wan, Lao Che's Nigthclub.

As a criminal entrepreneur, Lao owned both legitimate and illegal businesses, including pharmaceutical and export companies, and several taverns and nightclubs, such as the Lotus Eaters.[2] His spectacular[6] nightclub, Club Obi Wan, served as a front and the base of operations for his criminal activities, which was regularly frequented by many of Shanghai's most prominent citizens, providing lavish entertainment, fine food, and for those who wish it -- a discreet, seemingly safe venue for indulging in darker pleasures like gambling and prostitution. As with other underworld crime lords, he had a substantial number of the city's public officials in his pocket, but more than half of those under his control served him as the result of blackmail rather than bribes.[2] Though Lao Che called himself a merchant prince, everyone else quietly used more accurate labels like "gang lord" and "crime boss".[7]

He had three sons from different women:[3] Chen, Kao Kan[8] and a third child.[3] The first two served as the chief lieutenants of his criminal empire, although Kao Kan was his favorite while Chen was ignored by him many times.[4]

A tactic Lao frequently used was to keep cremated ashes of deceased family members as collateral for loans given out. The habit helped start his collection of rare and royal ashes.[4] Despite the dark nature of his business, however, Lao kept many reporters on his payroll to pose as a legal entrepreneur. In 1924, Lao was responsible for the murder of a local watchmaker who had refused to pay protection money on his shop.[8] As for his associates, Lao had become acquainted with the owner of a Hong Kong pawn shop which had the Katana of Nobunaga in their possession by the early 1930s.[9]

Clashes with Indiana Jones[]

Already aware of Lao Che's reputation, Indiana Jones' first run-in with the gangster was in 1933 at the Lotus Eaters nightclub, when the archaeologist discovered that Lao had forced Wu Han, one of his men, into servitude by taking possession of the cremated remains of the young scholar's family and was withholding a proper burial until he had worked off a decade for each of the three deceased relatives. Jones managed to surreptitiously retrieve the ashes out from under Lao's nose by pretending to be drunk and wishing to acquire a Han vase (exactly the one containing the ashes of Wu Han's family), thereby gaining Wu Han's freedom and acquired a new friend in the process. When the gangster became aware of the ruse, Lao sent assassins after Jones but they were defeated the next day on board a train out of Shanghai.[3]

Nevertheless, when a Manchurian government official hired Lao Che to secure the ashes of Nurhachi, which had been stolen by thieves in 1903, the gangster sought Indiana Jones to retrieve them.[10] In 1934, Lao Che provided the archaeologist with a critical lead that helped him to find the ancient burial ground of the Chinese emperors, promising him 30 gold coins and a diamond worth $7,000.[11] Lao formally commissioned Indiana Jones the following year to recover the remains of Nurhachi in exchange for the diamond, known as the Eye of the Peacock. Lao stipulated that no inquiries were to be made on how he had obtained it. Indy traced a jade funerary urn with Nurhachi's ashes to a Turkish pawn shop in Istanbul. Over his months in China, however, Jones saw how Che operated so he knew he had to be careful in the exchange.[12]

Indy and Wu Han were to meet with Lao after the archaeologist defeated the Black Dragon Triad leader Kai Ti Chang in the Netherworld to save China from Kai's machinations with the Heart of the Dragon, but Jones delayed the encounter to spend time with Mei Ying, his companion on the adventure.[13]

Eventually, Lao dispatched Kao Kan to steal the Nurhachi's urn, but Jones caught him, and Kao Kan's left hand was wounded in the process. The next day, Lao met with Jones at Club Obi Wan to complete the trade as originally planned: Nurhachi's ashes for the diamond. After examining the ashes, Lao double-crossed Jones by poisoning him then offered the antidote only in exchange for both valuables. Desperate for a bargaining chip, Jones grabbed Lao's trophy girlfriend — Club Obi Wan singer Willie Scott — as a hostage. The situation escalated out of control when Chen shot Wu Han, acting as the archaeologist's back-up, and Jones retaliated by killing Chen with a flaming skewer. Lao called in his men to deal with Jones[1] and swore vengeance,[2] but Jones and Scott escaped through a window with the antidote.[1]

Lao Che and his surviving son, Kao Kan, chased them by car to Nang Tao Airport where Jones unwittingly left the country aboard a plane owned by one of Lao's legitimate businesses, Lao Che Air Freight. Though Jones taunted Lao with a farewell message, Lao smiled, knowing that he held the upper hand with his loyal pilots.[1]

After the plane took off, Lao contacted it[14] and had the pilots fly off course over the remote mountains on the border with India, and dump the plane's fuel and parachute out, intending to kill Jones and his companions in the crash. However, the attempt failed as Scott was woken up by the wind blowing in and upon discovering that no one was flying the plane, informed the others. Jones, Scott and Short Round managed to survive by jumping out with a inflatable life boat before the plane crashed.[1]

On November 1, 1937, after being transported to Shanghai from the Himalayas after finding one of the Great Circle's stones, Indiana Jones and Gina Lombardi flew through the bombarded city to escape the Japanese bomber planes and while doing so they passed by Club Obi Wan, which had been heavily damaged during the Battle of Shanghai. Jones remarked that Lao wouldn't be happy with his club's situation, to which Lombardi asked him who Che was and Indy sarcastically replied he was an "old friend" of his who could invite the two for tea.[15]

Personality and traits[]

A very powerful[3] and ruthless crime lord, Lao Che controlled Shanghai's criminal underworld with an iron fist.[4] He had eyes and ears everywhere in the city.[11] Like so many of the city's notorious gangsters, Che enjoyed cultivating his image as a legitimate businessman despite his shady dealings, gaining a reputation over the years as a patron of the arts and philanthropist,[8] while privately delighting in offering the darkest pleasures to the local underworld.[6] He was considered as a disreputable gangster with a penchant for cremated remains and a sadistic sense of humor, as evidenced by when he taunted Indiana Jones for ingesting the poison that he had secretly been given, finding entertainment in seeing the archaeologist suffer.[16] An assassin sent by Lao to kill Jones once remarked that Lao Che would enjoy seeing his "pathetic" expedition end before it could even begin.[3]

By holding the ashes, the "souls", of deceased relatives of workers, Lao Che retained many of his men by forcing them to do detestable things—assist in the enslavement of others through prostitution and opium—as to disobey was to lose face and dishonor their loved ones. So many so-called employees were obtained in this manner that Lao Che would forget how many he had: he couldn't recall Wu Han who kept the gangster's books. He would even be willing to seel those urns containing ashes for museums if persuaded. If wronged, Lao Che was capable of sending assassins who would kill his victims regardless, but with the option of suffering a less painful death than getting their intestines spilled all over the floor.[3] Wu Han compared Lao Chee to a snake living in a city, knowing full well that he wouldn't let him stay alive if caught after tricking him with Indiana Jones out of the Peacock's Eye.[11] He was round-faced and had a rotund appearance, hence why Jones deemed him a "drug-dealing, pig-faced and two-bit gangster", but his hard eyes held a decidedly wolfish gleam. He also displayed xenophobic tendencies, deeming all Americans as "fools" when Jones pretended to be drunk and vulgar.[3]

His sons Chen and Kao Kan were also involved in his businesses, though Lao favored Kao Kan over Chen.[4]

Behind the scenes[]

Lao Che was portrayed by the late Shanghai-born and raised Chinese actor Roy Chiao in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. His voice was dubbed by Ron Taylor.[1]

During the development of the film's script, written by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, Lao Che's name was spelled "Lao She", named after the Chinese novelist of the same name. Additionally, a sequence in which Lao Che went after Indiana Jones and his party on the Great Wall of China in a motorcycle chase was considered; however, after China banned filming on the Great Wall, the idea was discarded, with a pursuit on motorcycles ultimately being recycled for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.[17]

Before the death of Chiao, fans had called for the return of Lao Che in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, with Chiao reprising his character. Director Steven Spielberg had stated he was open to re-using the character, and that Chiao, as well as Ric Young who played Kao Kan, was interested in returning for the fourth film.

In the Readers of the Lost Ark letters section of issue 26 from The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones, when asked by a fan if they would bring some Temple of Doom characters back, the Marvel Comics writers in charge of the series stated that there were plans to bring Lao Che back as the villain of a then-planned future story arc, but they declined to discuss further details.[18] The story was ultimately unrealized due to the series being cancelled without Lao ever returning.[19]

Lao Che's name appeared on windows and boxes outside a fireworks factory in the trailer for the then-untitled Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings video game. The more then-recent trailer showed Indiana Jones drinking at Lao Che Cocktails before being approached by two men who have heard he is "looking for the boss".[20] Lao Che himself didn't make an appearance in the final product though his name is referenced through Lao Che Lounge,[21] which Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings: Prima Official Game Guide seemingly implies to have a connection to him by stating at one point that "Indy faces a mob of thugs inside Lao Che's seedy nightclub".[22]

LaoCheLego

Lao Che in minifigure form

There were plans by Hasbro in 2009 for an Adventure Heroes set with action figures of Indiana Jones (in his Tuxedo suit) and Lao Che, but the toyline was cancelled before the set could be made.[23] Lao Che appeared in the 2008 LEGO set 7682 Shanghai Chase, though his minifigure was identified as "Shanghai Gangster".[24] In the LEGO.com description of the set, however, the two Shanghai gangsters were described as "Lao Che's gun-toting thugs".[25]

In LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, Lao's role mirrors that from the film.[26] In the sequel, however, Lao is apparently killed during the car chase in Shanghai as only Kao Kan appears during the airport scene.[27]

Appearances[]

Non canonical appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 IndianaJones.com Lao Che's Marshall College entry on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Indiana Jones and the Dinosaur Eggs
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide
  5. ↑ From Star Wars To Indiana Jones - The Best of the Lucasfilm Archives
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Top Trumps Specials: Indiana Jones (Card: Lao Che)
  7. ↑ IndianaJones.com Willie Scott's Marshall College entry on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Sourcebook
  9. ↑ Indiana Jones Artifacts
  10. ↑ IndianaJones.com Nurhachi's Marshall College entry on IndianaJones.com (backup link on Archive.org)
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (TSR)
  12. ↑ Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom junior novel
  13. ↑ Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb
  14. ↑ Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: A Tale of High Adventure
  15. ↑ Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
  16. ↑ The Indiana Jones Handbook
  17. ↑ The Complete Making of Indiana Jones
  18. ↑  The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones – "Trail of the Golden Guns"
  19. ↑ The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones
  20. ↑ Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings trailer
  21. ↑ Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
  22. ↑ Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings: Prima Official Game Guide
  23. ↑ Cool Toy Review
  24. ↑  LEGO Indiana Jones (Set: 7682 Shanghai Chase)
  25. ↑ Shanghai Chase | Indiana Jones™ Classic | LEGO Shop (Web archive)
  26. ↑ LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures
  27. ↑ LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues
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