黃狗屎 (Lao Sua)

I was surprised when i was told about the translation for this simple tomb in Loa Sua as i couldn't read chinese. 

Name of deceased: 黃狗屎
In Hokkien, 黃狗屎 is pronounced and romanized as Wee Káo Sái (often written locally as Wee Cow Sai). Yes, dog feces is the name of the male person with the surname Wee buried here whose ancestry place is from 庵石 (Anshi) — A village area in Fujian, China. There is no date of death stated. 

黃狗屎 - Wee Kao Sai 

Here is the exact character-by-character breakdown:

黃 (Huang): Pronounced Wee (or Ooi / Ng depending on the specific regional subdialect). For this particular family line, it was registered as Wee.
狗 (Gou): Pronounced Káo (which sounds exactly like the English word "Cow"). It is the everyday colloquial Hokkien word for dog. 
屎 (Shi): Pronounced Sái. It is the Hokkien word for feces/poop.

When put together in spoken Hokkien, it sounds like "Wee Cow Sai."

The Cultural Context Behind the Name

It might seem shocking today to see a headstone with a name that literally translates to "Dog Feces", but one theory is that could be a reflection of the traditional Chinese custom back then when such ugly names / coarse names are used to:

1. Ward Off Evil Spirits: In early immigrant and rural Chinese communities, infant mortality rates were dangerously high. Parents believed that giving a baby a beautiful or high-sounding name would attract the attention of jealous spirits or demons who might steal the child away.

2. For Protection: To protect vulnerable infants, parents deliberately gave them humble, undesirable, or coarse nicknames. By such naming,  they hoped to trick malicious spirits into thinking the child was worthless and beneath their notice, allowing them to grow up safely.

So is this a tomb of a young boy who despite having this ugly name, was quickly taken by "evil spirits" before he can reach adulthood ? If this theory is true. this tiny headstone stands as a moving, raw testament to the love and desperation of parents trying to protect their child.

But honestly, this are all speculation as there is no burial registrar in Lao Sua where we can search to find out his actual age (whether he is a baby, teenager or adult ) and his actual death date. 

Simple tomb of 黃狗屎 - Wee Kao Sai in Lao Sau

Another case from another tomb (糞掃)

Clearly etched on both Mr. and Mrs. Tan Boon Tin tomb is the name of one of their son as 糞掃.  Literally translated, 糞掃 would mean SHIT SWEEP. Another less unpleasant translation was RUBBISH. Because it appears on both tombs of Mr. Tan Boon Tin and his wife, so it is unlikely to be a mistake. So why did they name their son in such a manner ? I heard of folk tales, where the parents will name their son in a "ugly" manner to prevent evil spirits from taking their son to their untimely death.