This is the nickname on the website IMDB, no idea where they get if from. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1495244/bio Biography for Yao Ming Nickname Ming the Merciless ....
Ming the Merciless is the villian in the serial Flash Gordon. In the story he's an alien, but is obviously based on a Chinese person with a Fu man chu 'stache. It was originally a comic strip in the 30's and was made into a serial short film series in the 30's and 40's. I think there was a revival of popularity during the middle of the centry (60's?) because George Lucas used those sci-fi serials as one of the many inspirations for his Star Wars films. And in fact, the title "The Phantom Menace" is the type of cheasy titles that they used to have. I know about the story, because they tried to remake Flash Gordon as a Saturday morning cartoon about 7 or 8 years ago. I caught a couple of episodes, but didn't particularly care for it.
It's still a comic strip, the cartoon was Defenders of the Universe? which was comprised of other popular comic strip characters namely the Phantom and Mandrake the magician. A Flash Gordon movie was made in the early 1980s? with its soundtrack done by the band Queen. Earlier than that a porno parody was made called Flesh Gordon. Both are quite well known though I've only seen the mainstream flick. Anyway, I think Yao has more of the Ivan Drago thing happening than a Ming the Merciless one...
If Yao beefed up some more and got braces he could pass for Jaws from the Roger Moore James Bond movies.
