ampampltpampampgtHow did the Chinese character ampampltemampampgtXiampampltemampampgt also a prominent family name in China originate The mute swan might very well hold the answer to the question. In 2014 the author a former Harvard fellow was stunned to come across a scene in which two mute swan parents disciplined and trained one of their three children which precisely captured the original meaning of the character ampampltemampampgtXiampampltemampampgt. His curiosity about the bird as an intelligent animal species was finally given an opportunity to flourish five years later when more than two dozen mute swans wintered in the Chestnut Hill Reservoir in the west periphery of the city of Boston Massachusetts.