Surnames appeared at vastly different times in different cultures: in 2852 BC, the mythical Chinese emperor Fu Xi (Fu Hsi) was said to have decreed the adoption of hereditary family names. In England it was a gradual process, beginning about 1000 AD—when it was stimulated by a paucity of first names—and lasting about six centuries. In some cultures the generalized use of surnames did not occur until the 20th century: in 1935 a Turkish law went into effect making surnames mandatory. Jews were late in adopting surnames and often were compelled to do so. Because they were frequently barred from adopting names used by Christians, some simply chose compounds that sounded good, e.g., Rosenthal (“rose valley”). Others were assigned names expressive of the dominant culture's contempt (e.g., Eselskopf, “donkey's head”).