A father in Changchun, Jilin Province sought to legally change his son's surname, which sounds like "dog" in Chinese, to prevent his child from being teased at school, media reported on Tuesday.

The father surnamed Gou said he applied to change his 5-year-old's last name to Jing, meaning "respect," in order to spare him the teasing he himself experienced as a child.

"I was worried that it would harm him psychologically," the father said.

The local public security department is still processing the unusual request.

Gou explained his family's surname woes began in the 10th century, when his ancestors were forced to change their family name from Jing to Gou after emperor Shi Jingtang of the Later Jin dynasty (936-946) assumed power.

Imperial law stated it was verboten for anyone to share a name with the emperor.

In 2006, 312 people surnamed Gou in Shaanxi Province changed their last name back to Jing, media reported.

New Culture View