diary of a nobody..........................yet....: LIM

recent event prompted me to look up the origin of the surname 林. unfortunately, none of the lim descendant succeeded any throne. what a shame. however, the first Lim was a royalty. he was the son of BiGan, also known as Cai Shen Yeh.

according to historical records, Bi Gan was the uncle of King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty. He was a faithful and righteous minister. according to Fengshen Yanyi(封神演义), BiGan's heart was dug out by Daji(妲己-狐狸精), King Zhou's most favored concubine, but he didn't die thanks to the panacea offered by Jiang Ziya. later, BiGan went into the midst of the common people to distribute treasure. legend has it that merchants under the blessing of BiGan all did honest business, never cheating anyone. that's why BiGan was widely praised and worshiped. the usual portrait of BiGan is a man dressed like a civil official who wears a minister's gauze cap and embroidered robe, with a ruyi (an S-shaped ornamental object, usu. made of jade, formerly a symbol of good luck) in his hand and gold or silver ingots under his feet.

when Bi Gan's pregnant wife, who bore the surname Chen, heard of her husband's death, she fled into some woods and gave birth to a baby boy, who she named Jian. after the Shang Dynasty was toppled by the Zhou Dynsty, the position of BiGan's wife and son was restored. King Wu conferred the surname Lin (meaning woods or forests) on Bi Gan's son, because he was born in some woods.

another legendary figure is MaZu(妈祖), or Mat-Su, Chinese Goddess of the Sea, an extraordinary girl who became a goddess. this Chinese goddess originated with the deification of a young woman named Lin Mo Niang(林默娘) who had performed numerous miracles during her short life. a kind-hearted girl with a vast knowledge of Chinese medicine, she was known as a healer, curing the sick while teaching people how to prevent illness and injury. many of the miracles she performed involved quelling storms at sea, so it is hardly surprising that she is known as the protector of all seafaring people. the baby was named Lin Niang (in China the family name, or surname, comes first). at her birth the room was filled with a brilliant light and the fragrance of fresh blossoms. as a newborn, she was strangely silent. alert and healthy, she did not cry at all during the first month of her life, leading her parents to nickname her Mo (which means "silent").

thus, the surname lim is quite mythical. although something must have gone wrong throughout the course of time. the lim these days.... .how do i put it? hmm.. examples, derived from me, ning, and jia....