The Ghost Bride

Er Lang is first introduced in The Ghost Bride as a very mysterious figure, as signaled by his curiously dated clothing and the wide-brimmed bamboo hat that he wears to obscure his face. It is clear that his goal is to remain unobtrusive though Li Lan notes that his choice of attire actually makes him stand out to a greater degree. Er Lang reveals his true identity to Li Lan incrementally. At first, he merely tells Li Lan that he is a “government official” working to uncover a corruption plot in the afterlife. He is, therefore, clearly not a human, but neither is he a ghost or spirit. His decision to keep his identity and position closely guarded is intentional, for as he later tells Li Lan, if he were to remove his hat, “you will never treat me the same way again” (269). Er Lang is arrogant, confident, and sarcastic (which Li Lan is always quick to note), but his decision to hide his true nature for fear of being viewed differently is evidence of his pride and that he values the connection that he has built with Li Lan.

Er Lang’s relationship with Li Lan is characterized by constant teasing and jokes, though it becomes clear that he has great affection for her. He continually shows up to rescue or protect her, even at great risk to himself. He also expresses genuine empathy for her situation, even if he does not fully understand it. Eventually, Er Lang reveals that he is in fact a great mythical dragon, or loong, when he takes to the skies to fight off the monstrous birds that would prevent Li Lan from leaving the afterlife. Here, Er Lang sacrifices himself to ensure that Li Lan can return to her body, showing his selflessness and his desire to protect those he loves. Er Lang does survive this encounter, but the possibility of him dying does not influence his choice.

Er Lang is a catalyst character because his appearance prompts Li Lan to question her life choices, especially her impending marriage to Tian Bai. While Li Lan does not become a ghost bride, she does choose to be with a mythic being. As such, Er Lang presents a third option—someone neither strictly living nor dead—that corresponds with the change Li Lan undergoes after imbibing Er Lang’s qi. He symbolizes freedom for Li Lan, who no longer has to follow her society’s rules about whom she should marry.

Fan is one of the first ghosts that Li Lan encounters once she enters the Plains of the Dead. She was once the mistress of a shopkeeper, but her father deemed the match beneath her and sent her back to China by boat. Her ship capsized and she tragically drowned, at which point she continued to visit the house of her lover as a ghost. At first, her story and situation seem terrible until Li Lan learns that she is not an unfortunate “hungry ghost” but has received offerings from her father to help sustain her. Fan continues to visit her lover out of her own selfish desires and, subsequently, she reveals that she has delayed her passage to the Courts of Hell for judgment for far too long. Li Lan is almost immediately put off by Fan’s demeanor and the way she thinks only of herself. She even notes that she has been feeding off of her lover’s life force during her visits all these years, which has led him to age prematurely.

Fan’s selfish scheming, even during Li Lan’s initial interactions with her, facilitates her eventual turn from ally to antagonist. She is always seeking an opportunity—to delay her passage to the court, to make a good impression on a heavenly official, and the like—so she seizes the chance to use Li Lan’s body to her own advantage. Fan desires attention and creature comforts, and becoming Li Lan allows Fan to gain access to these things and to become young and beautiful again. Li Lan notes that Fan uses her borrowed body with much greater confidence, indicating that she was “far more experienced” than her (305). She expertly shows off her curves and uses “feminine wiles” to charm those around her, like Tian Bai. In the end, however, those closest to Li Lan can see the truth. Moreover, Fan’s desire for youth and longevity work against her when the ox-headed demon comes to claim Li Lan and takes Fan instead.

Lim Tian Ching is initially introduced as the main antagonist of The Ghost Bride. The eldest son of the Lim family who died under mysterious circumstances, he is haunting Li Lan by visiting her in her dreams, insisting on their marriage. Unlike the other male characters who end up becoming Li Lan’s suitors, Lim Tian Ching is not depicted as particularly handsome or attractive. When Li Lan first encounters him in her dream, before realizing who he is, she notices that “his face was quite undistinguished, being plump with a weak chin and a smattering of acne” (25). He is dressed ostentatiously, clearly wishing to draw attention to himself. This stands in stark contrast to the conventionally masculine and handsome Tian Bai, as well as the mysterious and striking Er Lang. As Li Lan continues to unwillingly learn more about Lim Tian Ching, she notes that he thinks quite highly of himself and believes he deserves power and attention. He is incensed that Li Lan was initially promised to Tian Bai and not to him, showing that he is also competing with his cousin over the things that he most desires.

At the same time, despite his illusions of grandeur, Lim Tian Ching is shown to be quite powerless. He believes that he is the one exerting control over Li Lan and that he will eventually win her hand, but in fact, his great-uncle and Master Awyoung are the ones pulling his strings. He is merely their errand boy, a go-between for their plot to bribe the Courts of Hell and help stage an insurrection. In fact, they deliberately keep Lim Tian Ching in the dark about his real role in their scheme. They rightfully assume that he is so caught up in his obsession with beating Tian Bai and laying claim to Li Lan that he is oblivious to the larger plot at hand. In the end, Lim Tian Ching becomes an almost pitiable character, for as Li Lan explains, he was merely being used as a “cat’s paw” (310), or a pawn, by his greedy and corrupt family.