Villagers drop dog of a name to win respect
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-08-23 14:30

Gou Feng would either get embarrassed or enraged when people burst into laughter upon hearing her name.

The Chinese character "Gou", which means "humble" in Chinese, but unfortunately has the same pronunciation as "dog."

Dogs may be considered man's best friend in the West, but in China, "dog" is a common insult.

"It was really embarrassing," Gou said. "My son even couldn't find a girl friend because of his name."

But the name-related insult is no longer an issue for more than 50 villagers at Tangzhuang Township in Dengfeng city, Central China's Henan Province.

They have droped their dog name and reclaimed their original surname "Jing", meaning "respect" , after getting the approval of local public security bureau.

In China, if someone wants to change his/her name, he/she should apply to the local public security authorities.

The villagers said in the petition submited in May that their ancestors were forced to change their family name from "Jing" to "Gou" by Shi Jing-tang, a military commissioner who overthrew the late Tang Dynasty (618-907) and founded the late Jin Dynasty (936-947).

To keep his nobility and uniqueness, the emperor coerced the villagers' ancestors to stop using the same character "Jing" and adopt "Gou."

The villagers complained that every generation should not have to suffer the same stigma.

"I had never heard of such a thing before," said Ma Huiqiang, director of the public security bureau. "It sets a precedent in our bureau."