Posted by Shirley Situ (64.60.32.8) on September 19, 2003 at 20:06:29:
In Reply to: Re: Soo Hoo, Su Tu, Si Tu?It is probably the same posted by Soo Hoo Foo Seng on November 13, 2000 at 19:29:37:
I do not think the story told by Benson Kwong is 100% correct. Situ is a surname which came from an official title (Prime Minister). Shun�s (2,255 � 2,205 B.C.) official title was Situ when he was under Emperor Yao (2,357 � 2,255 B.C), who later gave his throne to Shun. The rank of Situ is equivalent to that of a prime minister, with the duty of governing the people, in charge of land properties, education and culture. There are similar titles use as last name like ours even today, such as Si MA (In charge of Military), Si Kong (In charge of Astrology & wether). During the Zhou Dynasty, the rank of Situ was renamed as Da (big) Situ. The title was granted to the family as a last name for generations of service as Prime Ministers. Due to the change in power, a later Emperor order the family to be killed. The family went into exile and split into three branches. The two branches that escaped to the North were captured and killed. The only branch that survived was the one that escaped to Hoiping county in Guangtung province. There is a family tree book which keep records of every boys born from that point on. In recent years, girls' name were also added according to my father. I am the twenty ninth generation counting from the time they moved to the South. Thus, all Situs are from the same Hoiping County and it is advise that we are not to marry any one with the same last name as the gene pool is very small. We are all related in one way or the other.
: I agree with Benson Kwong and Jack Lee. My great grandfather migrated from Toishan and settled in Malaysia. We are the descendants of General Suet Ting Shan whose son Suet Kong accidentally killed the emperor's son during a game. The emperor decreed that all the Suet family members be executed. Our ancestors then fled down south until they reached Toishan and settled there by changing their surname to Szeto or Seto or Situ or Soo Hoo.