Posted by Eric Fok on October 26, 2000 at 13:01:36:
In Reply to: Re: origin of the Fok surname posted by Fok Yuen Fun on November 03, 1997 at 03:30:19:
I am a 4th (MIN) generation Fok, born and raised in Hong Kong. My great grand father was Fok To Kai who was one of the richest man in HK at the turn of the century 1900. He built the "Causeway" of the Causeway Bay in Hong Kong.
As per what I was told by my great grand uncle that the Foks were descended from the great general Fok Hui Bang or in Mandarin Huo Cui Beng of the Han Dynasty. He was the Right Great General of the 1st Han Emperor. It was he who pacified the West, beaten back the Mongols and set up the town Jou Chun (Wine cellar) & the Ja I Gate of the Great Wall where the current Chinese space program is located. The story went that his victories were rewarded by the Emperor in the form of good wines for him. He asked that the wine be poured into holes dug in the ground for the soldiers. That was the name of the place. He wanted everyone contributed to enjoy the fruits. He was from Tai Yuan, the capital of Shanxi Province (West of the Mountain).
I was also told by my great grand uncle that during the military campaigns he passed through his home 3 times but he didn't go inside. His men asked him why and he replied " The Mongols were not yet annhilated and there is no home to go back to."
Some centuries ago the clan migrated from Shaanxi to Guangdong. They settled around Panyu, Foshan and the vicinty of the Pearl River Delta. My great grand father's family came over to HK sometime in the late 1800 after the Opium war.
Shaanxi is a very dry place and life was hard, A lot of the population living around the edge of subsistance and some sank as low as becoming bandits. May be that was the reason that the Foks migrated south.
A proof of our Shanxi roots was that we have pinky nails split in our feet. I was told that those natives from Tai Yuan (even present day) have both pinky nails split in our feet and some just have one. If your roots are very diluted, you may not have such or it may jump generations.
The Foks left Tai Yuan, Shanxi and migrated to Guangdong God know when. They settled around the towns near Guangzhou, in Foshan, Panyu that area. There is still a sizeable Fok clan in Foshan & Panyu. I was told that they have kept the ancestal genealogy in good shape.
There was a Fok clansman association in HK. I did not check it out if it still exists. You can find out more from them.
The Foks are all over the World now in USA & Canada as well.
Hope all the Foks are proud of our roots! I certainly am.