Chan Lao is a non-canon character that made is only appearance in the Mortal Kombat novel. He is the younger brother of the Great Kung Lao. His mother died while giving birth to him. He constructs bridges and canals using bamboo and iron for a living. After the Great Kung Lao died, Chan and his wife Mie named their son Kung Lao, in his honor. Presumably, in the novel, it is this lineage that the modern-day Kung Lao descends from and thus is not technically a direct descendant of the Great Kung Lao.