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Origin of Guan*, Kwan*, Kuan*, Kwuan*, Quan*
There are three main origins of this last name. 1) Zhuan Xus (2,513 2,435 B.C.) descendent Dong Fu was the dragon trainer of Emperor Yao (2,357 2,255 B.C), and was awarded the title of Guan-Long Shi (Guan means to train, Long is dragon). Although the word Guan as in train is different from Guan as in shut, the two words have the same pronunciation, and the latter was used in place of the former. During the Xia Dynasty, Xia Jie (1,818 1,783 B.C.) was a notorious king who built lakes of wine and mountains of fermented yeast. He indulged himself in drinking and immorality and did not pay any attention to his administration. A loyal official called Guan-Long Feng urged Xia Jie to repent and was imprisoned and executed. His descendents changed their last name from Guan-Long to Guan. 2) During the Chun Qiu Dynasty, an official of the Zhou Kingdom known as Yin Xi was the governor of Han Gu Guan. Allegedly, the famous philosopher Lao Zi, wrote the Dao De Jing for Yin Xi on his journey to the west. Yin Xi later followed Lao Zhi and many believed that the two became ferries. The descendents of Yin Xi used Guan (part of Yin Xis official title) as their last name. 3) Some of the Manchurians of the Qing Dynasty, changed their last name from Gua-Er-Jia to Guan. (Guan means shut or close).
Hometown: Lang Zhou and Qin Zhou of Gansu Province.
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