Is there anyone whose surname is "Ghost"? This is indeed true; among the more than 2,000 surnames collected by Cheng Yinglian, an elderly man from Xinjian over a period of 20 years, this surname exists. Now, using the surnames he has gathered along with those already recorded in *Hundred Family Surnames*, the elderly man has compiled a book titled *Thousand Family Surnames*.
The surname "Ghost" sparked his interest in collecting surnames. Cheng Yinglian, now 75 years old and originally from Xinjian County, is a retired employee of an electrical line equipment factory in Hunan Province and currently resides in Changsha. "I have spent nearly 20 years collecting these surnames, gathering more than 2,000," said Cheng Yinglian yesterday from Changsha. He enjoys reading books, newspapers, and watching TV, and he used to always pay attention to the names of authors when reading newspapers.
One day, he noticed someone in the newspaper whose surname was "Ghost." Thinking that surnames could be so varied, he developed a strong interest in Chinese surnames and conceived the idea of collecting them. Afterward, whenever Cheng Yinglian encountered special surnames not listed in *Hundred Family Surnames*, he would record them. Additionally, he mobilized his friends and colleagues to help collect surnames. "The number of surnames in use today far exceeds the more than 500 listed in *Hundred Family Surnames*," Cheng Yinglian said, almost dedicating all his spare time to collecting surnames.
Unusual surnames abound
To collect surnames not included in *Hundred Family Surnames*, Cheng Yinglian went to great lengths. He purchased books such as *Records of the Grand Historian*, *Zuo Zhuan*, and *A Comprehensive Dictionary of Ancient and Modern Chinese Place Names* and diligently studied them at home. Whenever he discovered a new surname, he would be thrilled. He said: "My main sources for collection are television broadcasts, newspapers, magazines, and various directories of notable people, searching for individuals with unusual surnames."
Whenever he found a rare surname in publications, Cheng Yinglian would preserve the newspaper or magazine as evidence of his collection. For each new surname he collected, he would visit bookstores and libraries to consult relevant materials and verify their origins, sometimes even spending several days on just one character. "The harder it becomes to find new surnames as time goes on," Cheng Yinglian remarked. Through persistent effort, after accumulating over time, Cheng Yinglian collected more than 2,000 surnames, including over 400 very unusual ones. Combining these collections with the surnames already listed in *Hundred Family Surnames*, in February of this year, a book titled *Thousand Family Surnames*, self-published by Cheng Yinglian and funded by himself, was published by a publishing house in his hometown in Jiangxi Province.
Flipping through the *Thousand Family Surnames* compiled by Cheng Yinglian, the reporter came across many unheard-of surnames. Cheng Yinglian said: "Chinese surnames are profound and intricate. Zero, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Hundred, Thousand, Ten-Thousand, and Trillion are all surnames. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Year, Month, Day, Hour, Minute, Second are also surnames. Even Oil, Salt, Sauce, Vinegar, Tea are surnames." Counting on his fingers, he told the reporter that other surnames like Du (堵), Zai (宰), Yao (药), Jiu (酒), Si (死), Se (色) are also surnames.
Stories behind the surnames
Cheng Yinglian said that most of the surnames he collected were not included in *Hundred Family Surnames*. Some of these surnames were created based on others, while some were invented by the clans themselves. "It can be said that every surname has its own story."
For example, the surname "Du": During the Spring and Autumn Period, Xie Kou, a minister of the State of Zheng, was one of the ruling ministers. Since he was enfeoffed in Duyi (today's Fangcheng County in Henan Province), he was also called Xie Du Kou. His descendants took the name of the fief "Du" as their surname.
Another example is the compound surname "Di Wu" (第五): In the Western Han Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang relocated the descendants of the royal families of the original six states to Fang County in southern Hubei Province. Since there were too many nobles from the State of Qi, to make things convenient without causing confusion, they changed their original surnames and were granted new ones from "First" to "Eighth." "Di Wu" (Fifth) was one of them.
Plans to apply for Guinness World Records
"The next step is to apply for the Guinness World Records!" Cheng Yinglian said, hoping that through this newspaper, he could seek advice on the procedures for applying for the Guinness World Records. Subsequently, the reporter contacted the headquarters of the Shanghai Great World Guinness to learn about related matters. Regarding this, Cheng Yinglian expressed that he will promptly apply for the Guinness World Record for the *Thousand Family Surnames*. (Reported by Tu Yonghui, Intern Hu Feijun)
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