Author: Yoon-Ngan CHUNG (---.uwa.edu.au)
Date: 05-22-02 19:58
To know your Chinese surname (3)
The Chinese are always proudly said that:
"We are the descendants of Huang Di 我們是黃帝的子孫".
According to Shi Ji (史記) by Si-Ma Qian (司-馬遷), Huang Di (黃帝) or the
Yellow Emperor was born in Shou Qiu (壽丘 a place in the present day area of
about six kilometers northeast of Qu Fu county 東北曲阜縣 in Shandong province
山東省). Huang Di's father was called Shao Dian (少典) and his mother Jiao Shi
(蟜氏). Shao Dian and Jiao Shi were members of a clan called Xia (夏族). Huang
Di grew up near a river called Ji (姬). So Huang Di changed his surname from Gong-Sun (公-孫) to JI (姬). Huang Di lived in a place called Xuan Yuan (軒轅)
and he called himself Xuan Yuan. Huang Di's full name was Ji Xuan Yuan
(姬軒轅).
The place where Huang Di lived was the northern plain along the Huang He
(黃河) or the Yellow River and it was believed that this was the region of the
cradle of Chinese civilization. This place was particularly suited to agriculture because of the light rainfall and there was no forest cover to be removed before crops could be planted.
Legend had it that in about 4700 years ago, there were four clan-like societies
living in this region. They were the Xia (夏), Jiang (姜), Li (黎) and the Yi (夷).
The leader of the Xia clan was Ji Xuan Yuan who defeated the Jiang clan and
later formed an alliance with the clans of Jiang and Yi. Their main enemies
were the Li which was a clan consisting of nine tribes headed by a paramount leader, the belligerent Chi You (蚩尤). The leader of each tribe had many brothers. Together they formed a very powerful group. The weapons used in wars during
the ancient time were merely by throwing stones.
Ji Xuan Yuan had twenty five sons. His fifth son called Ji Hui (姬揮) invented
a weapon by tying a vine to the two ends of a bamboo stick. Hui called it
Gong (bow). Later he invented the arrows made of bamboo strips. According
to legend Hui was the first man in China to use bow and arrows to shoot
and kill animals. Ji Xuan Yuan invented spears made of wood.
It was believed that in about 2700BC Ji Xuan Yuan, with the helps from the
clans of Jiang and Yi, fought a decisive battle with the united forces of Li
at Zhuo Lu (涿鹿 present day Huai Lai county 懷來縣 in Hebei province
河北省). During the battle the weapons used by the Li were just merely by
throwing stones. Whereas Ji Xuan Yuan's troops were using wooden spears
and bows and arrows. The battle waged on for three days and three nights.
With better weapons the troops under the command ofJi Xuan Yuan defeated
the Li even though the Li were stronger and more numerous. Chi You, the
leader of the Li alliance, was killed in the battle.
After the victory over the Li clan, the people elected Ji Xuan Yuan the leader
of the united clans. People gave Ji Xuan Yuan a title called Huang Di (or Yellow Emperor) named after the yellow colour of the earth in the northern plain in China.
Ji Xuan Yuan encouraged exogamy as he wanted to create a melting pot of mixed blood people in his domain. This vision made him highly respected throughout the course of Chinese history. He established his capital in You Xiong (有熊 present day Xin Zheng 新鄭 in Henan province 河南省) and was the leader of the united clans for many years.
The importance of the Yellow Emperor throughout the history of China extended beyond nation-making. He was credited with numerous inventions, from social
reform and formation of a government to such minor things as cooking utensils,
tea, chopsticks and many other articles. The most important inventions of all
were the compass, clothing, weapons (ancient time weapons were throwing
stones), using mud bricks to build houses, wooden dingy and music. His wife
Lei Zu (嫘祖) developed sericulture.
Legend had it that, Chinese surnames were originated from the twenty five sons
of Huang Di who established fourteen settlements in different regions of the land
he ruled. He appointed 14 of his capable sons to rule the 14 settlements. The 14
new feudal lords took on twelve new surnames after the geographical locations which were delegated by their father to rule on his behalf. The two sons named, You Yang (有陽) and Cang Lin (蒼林) used their father's surname Ji (姬) as their surname. Another two sons called Qing Yang (青陽) and Yi Gu (夷鼓) adopted Ji
(己) as their surname. The twelve surnames of Yellow Emperor's fourteen sons were Ji (姬), You (酉), Qi (祁), Ji (己), Teng (滕), Zhen (箴), Ren (任), Xun (荀), Xi
(僖), Ji (姞), Huan (嬛) and (依). Generations later it became a tradition to adopt
the names of locations as surnames. It is estimated that 60 per cent of the Chinese surnames were named after some geographical localities.
It was believed that in 2600BC Huang Di left his capital and went on a tour-cum-inspection of his empire. He arrived at the foot of a mountain called
Qiao (橋山 present day Huang Ling county 黃陵縣 in Shaanxi province 陜西省).
Huang Di ordered to make a huge tripod cauldron to cook food as he had
invited the leaders of all the tribes for a great feast.
The ancient Chinese believed that a yellow dragon came down from the sky
and took Huang Di and his entourage, seventy people in all, to heaven. Legend
has it that Huang Di did not die but ascended to heaven [like Jesus Christ
ascended to heaven]. Those who missed the heavenly chariot gathered the yellow robes previously wore by Huang Di and buried them in the spot where he had ascended to heaven. That is the present day graveyard of Huang Di in Huang Ling city (黃陵市) in Huang Ling county in Shaanxi province.
From the book Shi Ji chapter one by Si-Ma Qian
(司-馬遷的史記第一卷) and the book Zhong Guo
Ren Shi Gang chapter three by Bo Yang
(柏楊的中國人史綱第三卷)
CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元).
the author of the books
"The Origin of 550 Chinese Surnames"
and "The Origin of the Hakka Chinese"
All rights reserved 2001
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