Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 01-11-11 20:36
Chinese surname - the 9th most common Chinese surname - 周 (CHOU)
Zhou means: delicate; considerate.
The surname Zhou is about 2,700 years old.
The surname Zhou originated in an area referred to during the Han Dynasty
(漢朝 206BC to 220AD) as the Runan prefecture (汝南郡). The present day
location of Runan prefecture is in the southeast of Runan county (東南汝
南縣 114.3 degree East and 33.0 degree North on the world map) of Henan
province (河南省).
In 770BC, Ji Yijiu (姬宜臼) ascended the throne as Zhou King Ping (周平王
), the 14th King of Zhou Dynasty (1134BC to 256BC). Zhou King Ping moved
his capital to Chengzhou (成周 present day Luoyang 洛陽 city in Henan province)
because the current capital, Hao (鎬 present day Xian 西安 city in Shaanxi
province 陜西省) was destroyed by the Quan Rong (犬戎), a North-Western
nomadic tribe from the northwest, rendering the area uninhabitable. Historians
refer to this move as the beginning of the East Zhou Dynasty (東周朝 770BC
to 256BC).
Zhou King Ping had many sons and he appointed one of them, Ji Lie (姬烈)
as the administrator of the Ruzhou (汝州 present day Linru county 臨汝縣
in Henan province 河南省). Zhou King Ping bestowed upon him the title of
Hou (侯) or the Marquis which was inheritable. Since Ji Lei was a member
of the Zhou Court, his family was known by the local citizens as the "Zhou
Wang Jia 周王家" which translates as "Zhou Royal Family". Eventually the
locals shortened it, referring to his family as the Zhou Family. Since Ji
Lie's family was very popular in the district, and more commonly known as
the Zhou family, Ji Lie gave his children the surname ZHOU (周). This was
the origin of surname Zhou.
The couplet for surname ZHOU is:
歧陽啟姓,---Qiyang qi3 xing4,
濂水分源.---Lianshui fen yuan2
The Zhou surname originated from Qiyang
And it began to diverge from Lianshui.
Prominent historical persons produced by the Zhou Clan
(1) Zhou En Lai (周恩來 1898 to 1976 alias Xiao Shan 小山 or Small Mountain)
Zhou En Lai was born in Huai An county (淮安縣) in Jiangsu province (江蘇
省). When he was a child he study Chinese Classics at home under a family
tutor. At an earlier age he was sent to live with his uncle in Fengtian
city (奉天 present day Shenyang city 沈陽) in Liaoning province (遼寧省).
At fourteen he entered Nankai (南開) Middle School in Tianjin (天津) city.
After his graduation in 1917 he went to Japan to study at Waseda University.
In 1919 he returned to China and studied at Nankai University. He took part
in the May Fourth Movement and was arrested by the police. He spent five
months in jail. After his release in 1920 he went to France study.
In France Zhou En Lai met Deng Xiao Ping and jointly administered the newspaper.
Zhou En Lai's pen name was Wu Hao (伍豪) and he was responsible for writing
articles and Deng Xiao Ping printing them.
In October 1920, 32 students, including Zhao En Lai and Deng Xiao Ping,
and members of the Hsin Min Study Association (新民學會) in France convened
a general meeting in a forest at Montargis in France. In the meeting the
students founded The Youth of the Chinese Communist Party (NOTE: Nine months
before the founding of the Chinese Communist Party on 21st July 1921). The
full details of the two-day meeting were published in Mao Ze Dong's journal,
Hsin Min Study Association Journal (新民學會) Issue No 3
Zhou En Lai returned to China in 1924. In 1927 Dr Sun Yat-sen established
the Whampao Military Academy (黃埔軍校) Zhou En Lai was appointed the deputy
director of the political department and Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) was the
commandant. He directed the Communists to stage an general strike in Shanghai
and welcomed Chiang Kai-shek's troops who later turned against the Communists.
and crushed them. Zhou En Lai escaped death.
In 1934 - 35 Zhou En Lai took part in the Long March. He later helped Mao
Ze Dong to establish the People's Republic of China. He was the Prime Minister
of the People's Republic of China.
漚心瀝血幹革命,----Ou4 xin li4 xue4 gan4 ge2 ming4
殊勳蓋世間,----------Shu xun gai4 shi4 jian,
無法磨滅;-------------Wu2 fa3 mo2 mie4;
鞠躬盡瘁為人民,---Ju gong jin4 cui4
英名滿天下,---------Ying ming2 man3 tianxia,
有口皆碑.------------You3 kou3 jie bei
His blood soaked heart is for the Revolution,
With the intention of giving an unparalleled distinguished service to the
world,
And that meritorious deed will never be obliterated.
He will service the people till his heart stops beating,
His illustrious name is known throughout the world,
And he has won the universal praise
-----------------------------------------------
(2) Zhou Shuren (周樹人 1881 to 1936)
He was most famous writer in modern China, but he never used his real name
to write but his pen name Lu Xun (魯迅). His wife name was Xu Guangping
(許廣平1898 to 1968)
橫眉冷對千夫指,---Heng2 mei2 leng3 dui4 qian fu zi3,
俯首甘為儒子牛.---Fu2 shou3 gan wei2 ru2 zi3 niu2.
Fierce-browed, I cooly defy a thousand pointing fingers,
Head-bowed, like a willing ox, I serve the children.
[This expression originated from Lu Xun.
Wrathfully defy the attacks of the enemy,
but willingly submit to the wishes of the people]
The couplet is from Lu Xun's "In Mockery of Myself 自嘆"
in "The Collection Outside the Collection 集外集" volume 7
of the Complete Work of Lu Xun.
This is Lu Xun's full poem which was written on the New Year Day in 1922:
自嘆 In Mockery of Myself
運交華蓋欲何求﹐末敢翻身已碰頭,
破帽遮顏過鬧市﹐漏船載酒泛中流.
橫眉冷對千夫指﹐俯首甘為儒子牛,
躲進小樓成一統﹐管它冬夏與春秋.
Lu Xun 魯迅 (二十二年元旦)
In volume three of Selected Works of Mao Tse-Tung (Mao Zedong 毛澤東)
"Yenan Forum on Literature and Art" Mao Zedong explained the meaning of
Lu Xun's couplet. According to Mao, I quote, "The 'thousand pointing fingers'
are our enemies, and we will never yield to them, no matter how ferocious.
The 'children' here symbolize the proletariat and the masses".
Lu Xun said:
I, too, had many dreams when I was young. Later, I forgot most of them.
I don't regret it. Although recalling the past may bring happiness, at times
it can inspire loneliness. What is the use of clinging to the distant memories?
My trouble is that I cannot forget them all. These stories stem from those
things that I am unable to forget.
我在年青時候也曾經做過許多夢﹐後來大半忘卻了,
但自己也並不以為可惜。所謂回憶者﹐雖說可以使
人歡欣﹐有時也不免使人寂寞﹐使精神的絲縷還牽
著以逝的寂寞的時光﹐又有什麼意味呢﹐而我偏苦
於不能全忘卻﹐這不能全忘卻的一部分﹐到現在便
成了((吶喊)) 的來由.
-------------------------------------------------------
(3) Dr. Zhou Guanghu (周光瑚 1917 to ???)
She is best renowned by her pen name Dr Han Suyin (韓素音醫生). She was
born, Zhou Yuebin (周月賓) but changed to Zhou Guanghu (周光瑚), in a Hakka
family originally from Jia Ying Zhou (嘉應州), Guangdong province (廣東省
). In the thirteenth century, her one of ancestors emigrated to the province
of Sichuan (四川省) in between 1682AD to 1710AD. She was a medical doctor
and a world famous author who wrote more than 30 books.
Han Suyin obtained her first degree in Yenching University Peking (燕京大
學 Yanjing University). Her honours degree of science was in French from
Brussels University in Belgium (the alma mater of her father Zhou Yuan Dong
周元東). She graduated as a medical doctor in London University in England.
She speaks Hakka, Mandarin, Cantonese, Malay, French and English.
She started work in the Hong Kong Government General Hospital after she
became a medical doctor. Her love affairs with Ian Morrison (Mark), who
was the son of the Chinese Robert Morrison (before liberation a street in
Beijing was named after him, and a hill in Hong Kong, Morrison Hill, also
named after him) had been written into a book "A Many-Splendoured Thing".
After Mark's death in Korea she met a British police officer. She married
him and relocated herself and her daughter to Malaya. She, later became
a GP in Johore Bahru. She wrote "And....The Rain My Drink..." about the
Malayan Emergency. I was brought up in exactly the same environment as she
described in this book. Her books written in French are not popular at all.
But her books in English are very popular in the Commonwealth countries.
The followings are her books, all written in ENGLISH.
(1) Destination Chungking:
about the war against the Japanese (1938 to 1942).
(2) A Many-Splendoured Thing :
about Hong Kong (1949 to 1952)
It was made into a movie entitled; "Love is a many splendoured thing"
The song by the same name was sung by Nat King Cole.
(3) .....And The Rain My Drink:
about Malaya during the Emergency (1952 to 1956),
The Communists, mostly Hakka People, fought against the
British Colonial Administration.
(4) The Crippled Tree :
Autobiography and History 1 (China 1885 to 1928),
about her Hakka family
(5) A Mortal Flower :
Autobiography and History 2 (China 1928 to 1938),
about the civil war and the resistance against the Japanese invasion.
(6) Birdless Summer :
Autobiograghy and History 3 (China 1938 to 1948)
about the civil war between the KMT and the CCP.
(7) My House Has Two Doors :
Autography and History 4 (Malaya 1949 to 1965)
about Malaya and her life outside China.
(8) Phoenix Harvest :
Autography and History 5 (France 1966 to 1979)
about the Cultural Revolution in China.
(9) The Morning Deluge :
about Mao Tse-tung and the Chinese Revolution 1893 to 1953.
(10) China in the Year 2001:
about the new generation in China.
(11) Lhasa, The Open City:
about her journey to Tibet in 1976
(12) Wind In The Tower:
about Mao Tse-tung and the Chinese Revolution 1949 to 1975
(13) Till Morning Comes:
about the enduring love between an American female reporter
and a Chinese doctor from 1939 to after the Cultural Revolution.
(14) Asia Today:
about the awakening of Asian countries.
(15) The Mountain Is Young:
about India and Nepal
(16) Four Faces:
about Cambodia
(16) Cast But One Shadow and Winter Love
(17) Two Loves
(18) Elder Brother
about Zhou En-lai
----------------------------------------
Posted to asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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