The origin of the Qu (屈) surname is from the Hubei (湖北) region.[4] Historically, the Hubei region was part of the State of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period of ancient Chinese history. The King Wu of State of Chu awarded his son Xia with the Qu Yi as feud to recognize his outstanding service to the court of Chu. The people called Xia "Qu Xia" and the offspring of Xia adopted Qu as their surname.[5]
The royal family of State of Chu was descendants of Zhuanxu, the grandson of Emperor Huangdi (i.e. Yellow Emperor). Therefore, Qu is also the descendant of Emperor Huangdi. During the reign of the Northern Wei dynasty, the people with last name of Qutu (屈突) adopted Qu as their surname.
The most famous individual with surname Qu, is Qu Yuan, the patriotic poet of the State of Chu in the Warring States period of ancient Chinese history.[5] He is known for his patriotism and contributions to classical poetry and verses, especially through the poems of the Chu Ci (Chinese: 楚辭) and Li Sao (Chinese: 離騷) anthology.[5] His works is still widely read by many people till this very day. On May 5 of every year dragon boat races are held to celebrate the Duanwu Festival across the country and in communities across the world in honor of Qu Yuan.[5]
Notable people
Notable people with the surname Qu/Wat include:
Historical period (pre-20th century):
Qu Yuan (屈原; 340–278 BC), Chinese poet and minister of Chu
Qu Ding (屈鼎; ca.1023–ca. 1056), Chinese master painter of the Song dynasty
Qu Dajun (屈大均; 1630–1696), Chinese great litterateur of late-Ming and early-Qing dynasty
Wat Ngong (屈亞昂;1785–1867), Chinese Protestant convert, evangelist and writer
This page lists people with the surnameQu. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.
