Author: CHUNG Yoon-Ngan
Date: 04-01-03 01:15
Dear PK Chang,
You and I share the same surname ZHENG4 (鄭).
I have posted to Hakka a few stories of Kapitain Chung
and his son Chung Taiping
Anyway this is the history of our surname ZHENG
Good luck
Surname Zheng (鄭)
Zheng means: serious; solemn
The surname Zheng is about 2,300 years old
In 1134BC, Ji Fa (姬發) became the leader of the Zhou People (周族) who
lived in the center of the Wei Valley (渭谷), west of the great bend of the Yellow River. In 1122BC Ji Fa destroyed the Shang Dynasty (商朝 1783BC to 1122BC)
and established the Zhou Dynasty (周朝 1134BC to 256BC). Ji Fa was installed
the Zhou King Wu (周武王), the first king of the Zhou Dynasty.
In 827BC, Ji Jing (姬靖), a descendant of Ji Fa was crowned crowned Zhou King Xuan (周宣王), the eleventh King of the Zhou Dynasty. Ji You (姬友) was a younger brother of Zhou King Xuan. When Ji You was thirty three years old, in 806BC, Zhou King Xuan gave him the authority to rule a district called Zheng (鄭 located in the northwest of the present day county of Hua 華縣 of Shaanxi province 陜西省). Zhou King Xuan also bestowed upon him the hereditary title of Bo (伯) or Marquis. Ji You renamed his domain the State of Zheng (鄭國) and he became the first ruler of Zheng.
Zhou King Xuan died in 782BC and was succeeded by his son Ji Gong Nie
(姬宮涅), who ascended the throne as Zhou King You (周幽王). In 777BC Zhou
King You married a beautiful concubine, Bao Si (褒姒). A year later she had a son
who was named Bo Fu (伯服).
In 774BC Ji You was appointed by Zhou King You as a Si Tu (司徒) or an official
of ritual ceremonies in the Zhou Court. Although he was a ruler of Zheng he lived in the capital, Hoa (鎬 present day Xi An 西安 city in Shaanxi province 陜西省) to help Zhou King You to govern the country.
In 773BC Bao Si manipulated the old King into having his official wife, the daughter of the ruler of the State of Shen (申國 present day Nan Yang county 南陽縣 in Henan province 河南省), imprisoned in a house behind the palace. Zhou King You also banished his eldest son, Ji Yi Jiu (姬宜臼), the crown prince, to the State of Shen. Zhou King You made Bao Si his official queen and Bo Fu the new crown prince.
The ruler of Shen was very angry at the way that Zhou King You was treating
his daughter and grandson. There was nothing the ruler of Shen could do as he was not military strong enough to take on the Zhou Court. So in 771BC the ruler
of Shen formed an alliance with the Quan Rong (犬戎), a nomedic tribe from the northwest, and attacked the Zhou capital which was very quickly overran. The Quan Rong razed the capital to the ground and Ji You, Zhou King Xuan, Bao Si and Bo Fu were killed in the turmoil.
Ji Yi Jiu, the former crown prince, raised a large army from several vassal States, including troops from the State of Zheng, to rescue the capital. The Quan Rong were driven out of the capital to the northwest.
Ji Yi Jiu was crowned Zhou King Ping (周平王). Ji Jue Tu (姬掘突), the eldest son
of Ji You, became the new ruler of the State of Zheng. Hao was uninhabitable as it was totally destroyed by the Quan Rong. So Zhou King Ping decided to shift his capital to Cheng Zhou (成周 present day Luo Yang 洛陽 city in Henan province). Ji Jue Tu helped Zhou King Ping to relocate the citizens to the new capital.
Ji Jue Tu followed Zhou King Ping to live in Cheng Zhou and the State of Zheng,
in the west of the county of Hua in Shaanxi province, was left without a ruler. Ying Kai (嬴開), the 6th ruler of the State of Qin (秦國 present day Feng Xiang county
鳳翔縣 in Shaanxi province) took the opportunity and absorbed the State of Zheng.
In appreciation, Zhou King Ping rewarded Ji Jue Tu the authority to rule the State
of Guo (虢國 in the northeast of present day Ying Yang county 滎陽縣 of Henan province). Zhou King Ping forced Ji Xu (姬序), the incumbent ruler of the State of Guo, to give up his domain in favour of Ji Jue Tu. Guo was renamed by Ji Jue Tu as the new State of Zheng (新鄭國) and estblished his capital in Xin Zheng (新鄭
present day Xin Zheng city in Henan province).
All the rulers of the vassal states were unhappy to see Ji Xu being deprived of his domain by force. Mie Yi (羋儀) the 14th ruler of the State of Chu (楚國 present day Jiang Ling county 江陵縣 in Hubei province 湖北省) was so angry with Zhou King Ping that he threatened to attack the new capital. In order to pacify the anger of the vassal states, Zhou King Ping allocated Ji Xu, the former ruler of Guo, the authority to rule a district called Yang Qu (陽曲 present day north of Tai Yuan 太原 city in Shanxi province 山西省) which was named the State of Bei Guo (北虢國).
Ji Jue Tu started to complain that his State was too small. He became restless
and wanted to expand his territory. Ji Jue Tu began absorbing settlements, that bordered his new domain without the permission of the central authority, the Zhou Court. Zhou King Ping was angry at Ji Jue Tu's actions, but he did nothing because the State of Zheng had become a very powerful State .
Ji Jue Tu died in 744BC and was succeeded by his eldest son Ji Wu Sheng
(姬寤生). Ji Wu Sheng gave his younger brother Ji Duan Shu (姬段叔) the
authority to rule a city called Jing Cheng (京城 present day about 30 kilometers southeast of Ying Yang county in Henan province), at the insistence of his mother.
Ji Duan Shu was very ambitious and wanted to be the ruler of Zheng. In 722BC Ji Duan Shu attacked the capital, Xin Zheng, but he was defeated. Ji Duan Shu fled
north to the State of Gong (共國 present day Hui Xian 輝縣 in Henan province). When Ji Duan Shu heard that his brother Ji Wu Sheng, wanted to attack Gong, he was so frightened that he committed suicide. The fighting between the two brothers was finally over, but at great cost. The civil war drained the state of men and
resources. Additionally, the eventual death of Ji Wu Sheng in 701BC resulted in
twenty one years of internal strife between the four sons of Ji Wu Sheng, Ji Hu
(姬忽), Ji Tu (姬突), Ji Zi Wei (姬子亹) and Ji Zi Ying (姬子嬰). The State of Zheng was extremely weak by then, and was uncapable to defend itself.
During the Spring and Autumn Period (春秋時代722BC to 481BC), and the Warring States Period (戰國時間 453BC to 221BC) the central authority, the Zhou Court, was weak. Previously, all the vassal States had to pay homage to the Zhou Court at least once in every three years. As the Zhou Court grew weaker and weaker the
vassal States came to regard the Zhou Court as a spent force, and eventually the Zhou Court lost its power to mediate in the numerous disputes among the vassal States. Large and powerful States began to conquer and annex the small and feeble ones because they knew that the central authority could do nothing to stop them. Eventually, in 376BC, Zheng was conquered by the State of Han (韓國 present day Lin Fen county 臨汾縣 in Shanxi province 山西省).
Since the inception of the State of Zheng in 806BC it had been ruled by twenty three rulers; but now the last ruler was called Ji Yi (姬乙). In remembrance of
beloved extinct State, Ji Yi and members of the Zheng royal family changed their surname from Ji to ZHENG (鄭).
天下鄭姓出滎陽
Family surname Zheng originated from Ying Yang.
The chrolonlogy of the State of Zheng (鄭國 806BC to 375BC)
Ji (姬) was the surname of all the rulers of Zheng. Bo was the hereditary
title bestowed upon by Zhou King Xuan ( 周宣王 827BC to 782BC).
Name===============Title================Period
(01) You (友)=========Huan Gong (桓公)====806BC to 771BC
(02) Jue Tu (掘突)=====Wu Gong (武公)===== 770BC to 744BC
(03) Wu Sheng (寤生)==Zhuang Gong (莊公)== 743BC to 702BC
(04) Hu (忽)========= Zhao Gong (昭公)==== 701BC to 700BC
(05) Tu (突)=========Li Gong (厲公)======= 700BC to 696BC
=== Hu (忽) Reinstated===================695BC to 695BC
(06) Wei (斖)=======Zi Wei (子斖)==========694BC to 694BC
(07) Ying (嬰)=======Zi Yi (子儀)=========== 693BC to 681BC
=== Tu (突) Reinstated=================== 680BC to 763BC
(08) Jie (捷)=======Wen Gong (文公)======= 672BC to 628BC
(09) Lan (蘭)======Mu Gong (穆公)=========627BC to 606BC
(10) Yi (夷)=======Ling Gong (靈公)======== 605BC to 605BC
(11) Jian (堅)=====Xiang Gong (襄公)======= 604BC to 587BC
(12) Fei (費)===== Dao Gong (悼公)=========586BC to 585BC
(13) Yan (睔)=====Cheng Gong (成公)=======584BC to 583BC
(14) Xu (繻)======Zheng Ruler (鄭君)======= 582BC to 582BC
=== Yan (睮)=Reinstated==================581BC to 571BC
(15) Yun (惲)=====Li Gong (釐公)===========570BC to 566BC
(16) Jia (嘉)=====Jian Gong (簡公)==========565BC to 530BC
(17) Ning (寧)====Ding Gong (定公)========= 529BC to 514BC
(18) Chai (蠆)====Xian Gong (獻公)========= 513BC to 501BC
(19) Sheng (勝)== Sheng Gong (聲公)========500BC to 462BC
(20) Yi (易)======Ai Gong (哀公)=========== 461BC to 455BC
(21) Chou (丑)===Gong Gong (共公)========= 454BC to 398 BC
(22) Yi (已)===== You Gong (幽公)===========423BC to 423BC
(23) Tai (駘)==== Xu Gong (繻公)============422BC to 398BC
(24) Yi (乙)=====Kang Gong (康公)========== 397BC to 375BC
Zheng Dang Shi (鄭當時), the seventh generation descendant of Lu (魯), who was the son of Yi (You Gong see 22), was an agricultural official during the Han Dynasty (漢朝 296BC to 220AD). Zhen Ya (鄭雅), the sixth generation offspring of Zheng Dang Shi relocated himself to Ying Yang Prefecture just before the end of the Han Dynasty. It was recorded that surname Zheng was originated from Ying Yang county.
The surname Zheng originated in an area referred to during the Han Dynasty
(漢朝 206BC to 220AD) as the Ying Yang prefecture (滎陽郡). The present day
location of Ying Yang prefecture is in an area about 17 kilometers southwest of
Ying Ze county (滎澤縣) of Henan province. The location of Ying Ze county in the world map is at 113.4 degree East and 34.8 degree North.
The couplet for surname Zheng is:
榮陽世澤﹐詩禮家聲。
Historical famous people produced by the Zheng clan include:
(1) 鄭成功 (Zheng Cheng Gong or Coxinga 1624AD to 1662AD)
海外有孤島﹐厥名曰台灣﹐
成功手開闢﹐約三百年間。
民多閩粵藉﹐蓽路啟荒山﹐
眾族耕斯土﹐其樂也閑閑。
Across the sea there is an island called Taiwan,
The Ming patriot Koxinga developed it about fourteen scores years ago.
The offspring of Guangdong and Fujian provinces are most of the islanders.
Clearing bushland and building roads they laboured.
Happily they live and cultivate this land.
A poem on Taiwan
Zheng Cheng Gong (鄭成功) was born on Hirado (平戶), an island in Kyushu,
(九州) Japan, in 1624AD, the 4th year reign of Emperor Xi Zong of Ming Dynasty
(明朝熹宗皇帝), the year of Jia Zi (甲子年) or the Year of the Rat. His father, Zheng Zhi Long (鄭芝龍), was from Shi Jing village (石井鄉) of Nan An county (南安縣) in the city of Quan Zhou (泉州) in Fujian province (福建省). His mother was a Japanese woman by the name of Tian Chuan Shi (田川氏).
After the downfall of the Ming Dynasty (明朝 1368AD to 1644AD), Zheng Cheng Gong (鄭成功 Koxinga), the patriot of the Ming Court, refused to be subjugated by the newly established Qing government (清朝 1644AD to 1912AD). Zheng Cheng Gong fiercely resisted the Qing Government and tried desperately to restore
the Ming Dynasty, but he failed.
In 1661AD, with a force of about nine hundred ships and 25,000 troops, Zheng Cheng Gong crossed the Straits of Taiwan and landed in Lu Er Men (鹿耳門 the Gate of the Deer's Ears, present day An Ping 安平 harbour in Tainan 臺南) and defeated the Dutch who established a base there in 1642AD. There were Malays, Chinese and Japanese living in the island. Zheng Cheng Gong proclaimed that Taiwan was a territory of the Ming Dynasty and established a Kingdom in Tainan. His Kingdom was called the Yan Ping Prefecture Kingdom (延平郡王府) after his title that the last Emperor of Ming Dynasty bestowed upon him.
In 1662AD Zheng Cheng Gong (鄭成功) suddenly died of malaria at the age of 38. His son Zheng Jing (鄭經) succeeded him. Zheng Jing made peace with the Qing Government. He demanded that the Qing Government should recognise Taiwan as an independent country like Korea (高麗), Annam (安南) and Ryukyu (琉球). He emphasized that Taiwan would forever become a protectorate of the Qing Government and the people in Taiwan should be exempted from wearing pigtails. The Qing Government acceded to all the conditions.
Zheng Qing thought that the Qing Government was weak because it had not firmly established itself in the mainland yet. Zheng Jing wanted more and he demanded again that the Qing Government should grant him the authority to establish a trading base in Shamen (廈門) to facilitate the Taiwanese trading along the coast of Fujian province. This time his demands were regarded as excessive and the Qing Government was angry. Talks between them broke down. Zheng Jing tried unsuccessfully to retract the new conditions, but was too late and the Qing Government turned the tables on him and refused to accept any condition. The Qing Government resolved to liberate Taiwan by force [history might repeat itself].
Zheng Qing got himself became involved in the Rebellion of the Three Feudatories (三藩). The Three Feudatories were Wu San Gui (吳三桂), Shang Ke Xi (尚可喜) and Geng Zhong Ming (耿仲明). They were the generals of the Ming Dynasty but they surrendered to the Manchu and fought against their own Ming Emperor. After the establishment of the Qing Government the Machus rewarded each one of them by governing his own fiefdom. However, their fiefdoms were growing too strong and the Manchus wanted to strip off their powers. These opportunist generals formed an alliance to fight the Qing Government. Eventually they were crushed by the Qing Government.
Zheng Jing sent troops to assist these unpredictable recalcitrant generals to fight against the Qing Government. The Three Feudatories rebellion was crushed. Zheng Jing's actions enraged the Qing Government which launched an all out attack on the bases held by forces of Zheng Jing along the coastal regions of the provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang. After many battles Zheng Jing was finally forced to abandon all his bases in the mainland and retreated to Taiwan.
Zheng Jing died in 1681AD and his second son Zheng Ke Shuang (鄭克塽) succeeded him. His eldest son, Zheng Ke Zang (鄭克藏), was killed by his bodyguard, Feng Xi Fan (馮錫范).
In 1683AD the Qing Government dispatched an expeditionary force of 300 warships and 20,000 troops to invade Taiwan. They met with no resistance when they landed at the Gate of the Deer Ears, the same place where Zheng Cheng Gong landed and defeated the Dutch in 1661AD. Zheng Keh Shuang surrendered without a fight. The date was 8th day of tenth Month of the 22nd reign of Emperor Kang Xi (康熙皇帝), the Year of Gui Hai (癸亥年) or the Year of the Pig. The following year, 1684AD, Taiwan was made a prefecture of Fujian province. Taiwan officially became part of the Qing Dynasty. Taiwan would have become part of Indonesia if Emperor Kang Xi listened to Prime Minister Li Di Guang..
(2) 鄭和 (Zheng He 1371AD to 1433AD)
Zheng He was born in a Muslim family in Kun Yang county (昆陽縣) of Yunnan province (雲南省). His father and grandfather had gone on pilgrimages to Mecca. Zheng He was greatly influenced by the stories his father told him about his sailing to Mecca for his pilgrimage and he always wanted to be like his father and grandfather and travel to Mecca by sea.
Years before in 1368AD, Zhu Yuan Zhang (朱元璋 1328AD to 1398AD) founded the Ming Dynasty (1368AD to 1644AD). In the intercalary second moon of 1382AD Zhu Yuan Chang dispatched a large army under the command of General Mu Ying
(沐英) and Lan Yu (藍玉) to pacify the present day province of Yunnan. Zheng He's father died of disease during the turmoil and Zheng He was captured by the Ming troops. Zheng He was only 12 years old. He was assigned to be the young butler of Zhu Di (朱棣), the fourth son of Zhu Yuan Chang.
In 1403AD, Zhu Di became the third Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Di was crowned Cheng Zu (成祖 1403AD to 1424AD). In the sixth moon of 1405AD, Emperor Cheng Zu sent Zheng He to Nanyang (南洋 or the South Sea). A large fleet of sixty two large ships and more than one hundred medium-sized
ones, altogether more than two hundred ships, with over twenty seven thousand
sailors, navigators, and tradesmen, were under the command Zheng He. They sailed to Charapa (古城 present day Vietnam), Java (爪哇), Polembang (舊港),
and Sumatra (present day Indonesia) and Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka).
Zheng He returned to Beijing in the ninth moon of 1407AD. He had a second trip in 1408AD, the third trip in 1412AD, the fourth trip in 1416AD, the fifth trip in 1421AD, the sixth trip in 1424AD and the last trip in 1430AD/
(3) 鄭樵 (Zheng Qiao 1103AD to 1162AD)
Zheng Qiao was born in the present day Pu Tian county (莆田縣) in Fujian province (福建省) during the period of Song Dynasty (宋朝 960AD to 1279AD). He was an author who had written more than 200 books. His books wee about the ancient classics, herbal medicine, music, towns and cities of his time, genealogy and many others subjects.
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
All rights reserved 2003
01042003
Yoon-Ngan
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