RE: hakka: Do you know the history of your surname?

[Yoon-Ngan Chung <chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au>]

Hello William,

My book will not be completed for least another year.
Eventually it will be translated into Chinese.

> I am very interested to know more about the origin/root of my surname 'LOH'.
>I was told my ancestor was a 'fire king' (in Mandarin ... joke yong), and 
>expert in making nets and catching birds.My surname is same as the author
>of 'Sun kwok yean yee' the story of three kingdoms, 'LOH KUAN CHOONG'.  I
>am glad that you are researching and writing various surnames.Please let
>me know where I can place order for your book. In addition, if you know
>of any book on my surname 'LOH', please let me know the title(s) of the book 
>and their publishers. 
>I am a third generation Hakka in Malaysia and able
>to speak simple Hakka with family members and friends. I study Chinese 
>Language up to upper secondary level and prefer to read books on my surname 
>in Chinese.

Your command of Chinese must be very good.
Here is the history of your surname LUO2 (surrounded by four sides).

Surname No.75 Luo2 
Luo2 means : a net to catch birds; display.
Surname Luo2 is about 2600 years old.

Abstract: Surname Luo2 was originated in an area which was called the
          Yu4 Zhang Prefecture during the Han4 Dynasty (206BC to 220AD).
          The present day location of Yu4 Zhang Prefecture 
          is in Nan2 Chang Xian4 in Jiangxi province China.

   Chinese believed that Sui4 Ren2 Shi4 invented fire during the ancient
time. He taught people how to pierce a small wooden rod into the hold of
a big wooden log. By spinning the small rod very fast it would generate fire.
   After the invention of fire Sui4 Ren2 Shi4 taught people how to cook
food. From that time on people stopped eating raw food.
   Zhu4 Rong2 a descendant of Sui4 Ren2 Shi4 was appointed by Yellow 
Emperor to be in charge of fire. Later he was nicknamed by people as
the god of fire.

   King You (reigned 781BC to 771BC) was the 11th King of the Zhou
Dynasty (1134BC to 250BC). He married a young and beautiful concubine 
named Bao3 Si4. A year later she had a son and was named Bo2 Fu2.

   In 773BC this beautiful concubine wanted her young son to become
the crown prince and herself the offical King's wife. She manipulated 
the old King and had the King's wife and the crown prince named Ji Yi2
Jian banished to the State of Shen (present day Nan2 Yang2 city in
Henan province).

   The ruler of the State of Shen was the father of the King's wife. He
was very angry over the treatment of his daughter by the Zhou Court. But
there was nothing he could do as he was not strong enough to fight the
Zhou Court.

   In 771BC the ruler of Shen conspired with Quan3 Rong2 the non- Han4 
Chinese from the north to attack the Zhou capital Hao4 (present day Xi An 
city in Shaanxi province). The Zhou troops could not withstand the attack 
by the combined armies. The capital was totally razed to the ground. The 
King, his concubine and the newly crowned young prince were killed in the 
turmoil.

   Even though the capital was destroyed and ransacked the Quan3 Rong2 would
not leave. Actually the ruler of Shen was inviting the wolves to the house. 
So the former crown prince Ji Yi2 Jian congregated an army from several
vassal States to rescue the capital Hao4.

   His grandfather the ruler of Shen was with the Quan3 Rong2 in the capital.
The crown prince and his grandfather plotted together had the Quan3 Rong2
pushed out from the capital and had them driven back to the desert where they
belonged.
  
   The crown prince ascended to the throne as King Ping2 
(reigned 770BC to 720BC). He moved his capital to Cheng2 Zhou city 
(present day Luo4 Yang2 city in Henan province) as the destroyed 
capital Hao4 was uninhabitable.

King Ping2 rewarded an official who was the descendant of Zhu4 Rong2 to
rule a district called Luo2 (present day Fang Zhou Xian4 in Jiangxi province). 
It was renamed as the State of Luo2.
 
  During the Spring and Autumn Period (722BC to 481BC) in 704BC the 
descendants of the Miao2 clan established a new Kingdom called Chu3 
(present day Zhi Jiang Xian4 in Hubei province). The leader of Chu3 
was Mie Xiong who was very belligerence. He wanted to expand his new 
Kingdom. He conquered and annexed several vassal States of the Zhou Court.

   In 699BC Chu3 invaded the State of Luo2. The people of Luo2 resisted
desperately. It managed to repel the Chu3 at a great cost. The leader
of Luo2 was killed in the battle and its resources were exhausted.

   The following year Chu3 attacked Luo2 again. But this time Luo2 
could not put up a good fight and it was conquered and annexed by Chu3.
State of Luo2 was in existence for less than 100 years.

   Members of the royal family of the State of Luo2 adopted LUO2 as 
their surname.

CHUNG Yoon-Ngan. chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au