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, 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 more than 50 villagers surnamed Gou at Tangzhuang Township in Dengfeng city Henan Province can now hold their heads high after reclaiming their original family name, "Jing", meaning "respect."

The villagers' fate changed after they petitioned the city's public security bureau in May to revert to their original family name. On August 5, the residence registration department of the local public security bureau okayed their appeal to change the surname based on investigations by taking into account of historic facts.

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

They said 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 avoid using the same character "Jing" and adopt "Gou."

"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."

(Xinhua News Agency August 23, 2005)