Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 07-23-12 06:35
337. Surname XIANG (向)
Xiang means : direction; facing.
The surname Xiang is about 2,500 years old.
The surname Xiang originated in an area referred to during the Han Dynasty
(漢朝 206BC to 220AD) as the Henan prefecture (河南郡). The present day
location of Henan prefecture is in an area about thirty kilometers east
of Luoyang county (東洛陽縣, 112.4 degree East and 34.6 degree North on
the world map) in Henan province (河南省).
In 681BC, Zi Yushuo (子御說) was installed the 18th ruler of the State of
Song (宋國 present day Shangqiu county 商丘縣 in Henan province). Zi Yushuo,
who ruled Song until 651BC, appointed one of his sons named Zi Bi (子肸)
to administer a place called Xiang (向 in an area near the present day city
of Luoyang 洛陽 in Henan province). Zi Bi gave himself Xiang Fu (向父) as
his new name.
Many of his descendants became officials and famous statesmen in the State
of Song. However, they only used XIANG (向) as their surname and left off
the word Fu (父).
The couplet of surname Xiang:
源自宋國,---Yuan2 zi4 Song guo2,
望出河南.---Wang chu Henan.
The prominent personals produced by the XIANG (向) clan.
Most of the personals bearing surname XIANG are living in the provinces
between the two great rivers of Huang He (黃河) and Chang Jiang (長江 or
Yangtze River). I hope you read Chinese lest you would not know anything
about your ancestors. Some of the 'BANANAs" don't even know how their Chinese
surname look like.
Please view this link and note the girl by the name of XIANG Jingyu (向警
予) on the right. The young man on the left was Chairman Mao Zedong when
he was a young man after he had obtained his degree from First Normal College
in Changsh (長沙, Henan province (河南省). On the top of the photo was a
group of Chinese girl students studying in Paris, France.
Xiang Jingyu (1895AD to 1928).
http://yn.chung.id.au/Xiang.Jingyu.jpg
She was the editor of a newspaper called Chang Jing Daily (長江報).
She was married to Cai Hesen (蔡和森). They returned to China to work and
both of them were killed by Our greatest generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek (蔣
介石) who fled for his life to Taiwan when Mao Zedong liberated China.,
In the late 1920s, the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party was XIANG.
Zhongfa (向中發). He was also killed by Chiang Kai-shek who also killed
楊開慧 (Yang Kaihui), the wife of Mao Zedong.
Yes. I agree with you that surname XIANG is rare among the Overseas Chinese.
Posted to asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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