明清历代帝王的衣钵朱姓皇族抛弃了权贵的称谓改姓东以闯关东之姿来到遥远的地方最终在庄河定居
朱元璋的衣钵，明朝末年，皇族改姓“东”，逃到山东海阳，后闯关东来到庄河定居。在庄河的青堆镇孔家村六吉屯，有着一个流传已久的说法：这里的东姓人是明太祖朱元璋的后裔。近日，记者与文体局专家探访该村，初步证实了这一说法。
在六吉屯现有60多户居民，其中东姓占了一半。每当提及此事，便能见到兴高采烈的情绪。“这些事情都是我们老辈一代一代口耳相传，说我们的祖先姓朱，是明国皇帝朱元璋的后裔。”68岁的东先生深信不疑。
据居民介绍，在明末农民起义军攻城前，皇城里的朱氏贵族外逃，无奈只好改姓。一部分从东门逃出的，就姓东；南门出就称南；北门出则为北；西门出则为西。而李自成起义军攻城正是从西门，因此，从西门逃出的最少。
两股分支，一股隐居邢台大沙河间的小地方，而另一股奔向山东省海阳县的一个叫“褡裢”的小地方。到了清朝，不再追杀朱元璋后裔，这支 东 surname gradually survived and thrived. Another branch of East surname settled in a village called Dongjiatou (now called Dong Village) in Haiyang County, Shandong Province.
The villagers of the East surname who ventured to move from Shandong to Zhuanghe are said to have arrived around 200 years ago. Yesterday, the cultural department's cultural affairs officer Zhang Dekun confirmed that preliminary investigations suggest that the residents of Sixiji Township in Quedian Town, Zhuanghe City are indeed descendants of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.
"We have investigated and found that anyone claiming to be a descendant of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang must practice 'sacrificing four directions' during festivals," Zhang explained. "This is because members of the imperial family were distributed throughout the country as feudal lords." This custom is considered an important indicator for identifying whether individuals bearing these surnames are actually descendants of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang.
Furthermore, archaeological experts from our city also verified through on-site visits that some East-surname residents did indeed migrate from Haiyang County to Sixiji Township in Quedian Town during Ming dynasty times. According to historical records, there was evidence suggesting some descendants escaped persecution by hiding their identities under new names in Haiyang County after Ming dynasty collapse.
While no one today pays much attention to such legacies anymore, many simply cherish their ancestors' once-imperial status with pride.
