Re: Lao versus Rao (names) ... Rao is actually an Inidian name; I think Lao would go better for an Asian character. Needn't be Chinese, however; could be Viet Namese, Cambodian, etc. I don't recall reading anything specific about his ethnicity in the novels, and of course, since his name was in kana, we couldn't tell if it was supposed to be an R or an L from that! - Sue