Late 19th to early 20th centuries saw Tengchong booming with merchants and commercial establishments, giving rise to

the renowned "Four Great Merchant Clans": Dong of the East, Dong of the West, Liu of the South, and Deng of the North. Among them,the West Dong Clan （Xidong） stood out with its time-honored heritage, evolving into an eminent family integrating military merit,scholarly farming, and commercial ventures. The clan's history traces back to 1382（the 15th year of the Hongwu reign in the Ming

Dynasty）

. Ancestor Dong Jiu followed Mu Ying, Marquis of Xiping, to pacify Tengchong. For his outstanding military exploits, he was

conferred the title of Wu Xin General and stationed in Tengchong. The 6th-generation ancestor Dong Xiangshu later moved the family

to today's Dongguan Village, where they settled and thrived. The West Dong Clan excelled not only in self-cultivation and family

governance but also made significant contributions to frontier security. Their success stemmed from two key factors: a family

governance philosophy rooted in Confucian ethics and a deep-seated patriotic spirit.

Dongguan Village, Tengchong, the Dong Clan, clan culture, familial and patriotic commitment