Interpretation of the Dong Clan Totem 

[Definition] According to the Shuowen Jiezi: "Dong refers to the Dingdong grass." It is a type of grass, originally written as 蕫 or 董, also known as Lui (蘱). It is a variety of cattail (Typhaceae family), a plant traditionally used for making ropes.

[Origin] Legend has it that among the descendants of the Yellow Emperor (of the Ji surname) was a man named Shu An. He was enfeoffed in Liu (south of present-day Tanghe, Henan) and became known as Liu Shu An. Shu An had a son named Dong Fu, who mastered the art of taming dragons and was intimately familiar with their habits. He raised and trained dragons for Emperor Shun, who subsequently bestowed upon him the surname "Dong" and appointed him as the head of the "Huanlong Shi" (Dragon Raisers Clan). He was enfeoffed in Zongchuan (northwest of present-day Dingtao, Shandong). It is said that the "Huanlong City" in present-day Linying, Henan, is the site of Dong Fu's ancient fief.

• Ancestral Founder: Dong Fu

• Ancestral Homeland: Linying, Henan; Dingtao, Shandong

• Prefectural Seats (Junwang) and Hall Names: Longxi, Jiyin; Liangshi Hall (Hall of the Honest Historian)

• Current Ranking / Population: 37th / Approx. 6.77 million

• Song Dynasty "Hundred Family Surnames" Rank: 127th

• Extant Genealogical Records: 195 volumes