This is not true in the games. Liu Kang is only the descendant of him in MKC. If you've ever heard of Mortal Kombat: Conquest, that was the TV show of how 500 years previous of the first MK Tournament with Liu Kang, Kung Lao won against Shang Tsung. Even though he is not called this, he is what would be known in the games as the Great Kung Lao. He is not the Kung Lao in the era Liu Kang is in. As everyone knows, you can always consider the movies and TV Spin-offs of Mortal Kombat non-canon. By the way, I think this should be closed by the mods since there is nothing else to this thread than what I have just said.

That pretty much sums it up.

In the games, the current Kung Lao is the true descendant of the Great/Original Kung Lao (the guy who's about to work Shang in my sig). You can see the Great Kung Lao in Kung Lao's MK2 and 3 endings, as well as his MK Gold bio and ending and Tobias' MK1 comic book (which can be unlocked in MKDA"s krypt.)

The movie just threw in those "descendant lines" cus it added a little background to the story.

There was even supposedly a scripted scene where Shang Tsung allowed the earth warriors to bury Art Lean in the Garden of statues underneath a statue of the Great Kung Lao.

Dunno if it's true or not, but that would've been cool.

Anyways, since it's been answered, thread closed.