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Chinese surname - Yang

Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 09-15-05 21:02

Chinese surname - YANG (楊)

The poem on surname Yang (木 + 易 Mu + Yi)

木蘭花馥三春瑞
易俗移風萬戶新

Yang means: poplar; aspen.
The surname Yang originated in an area referred to during the Han Dynasty
(漢朝 206BC to 220AD) as the Hongnong Prefecture (弘農郡). The present day
location of Hongnong Prefecture is in an area about 40 kilometers south
of Lingbao county (靈寶縣 112.9 degree East and 35.2 degree North on the
world map) in Henan province (河南省)

The couplet for surname Yang is,

四知世澤
三相家聲
.........................................
.................................................
...................................................................

(1) 楊震 (Yang Zhen 50AD to 124AD)

Yang Zhen was born in the present day county of Huayang (華陽縣) in Shaanxi
province (陜西省). He was a great scholar and people nicknamed him the Confucius
of Guanxi (關西孔子). He was an official during the Eatern Han Dynasty (東
漢朝 25AD to 220AD). He was appointed the magistrate of Donglai prefecture
(東萊郡) in Shandong province (山東省). While on his way to take up his
new position from provinces of Shaanxi to Shandong he passed through the
county of Channgyi (昌邑縣) in Shandong province. The District Officer of
Changyi county was Wang Mi (王密). Previously Yang Zhen had recommended
Wang Mi to the government to appoint Wang Mi as an official. Eventually
Wang Mi was appointed the District Officer of Changyi county.

In order to show his respect and gratitude towards Yang Zhen, that evening,
Wang Mi brought ten ounces of gold to see his mentor. On seeing that the
gold was for him Yang Zhen was unhappy and he told Wang Mi off for bribing
him. Yang Zhen reminded Wang Mi that he was a clean and uncorrupted magistrate.
Wang Mi told Yang Zhen quietly that it was in the middle of the night and
no one knew what they were doing. On hearing this, Yang Zhen was so angry
that he screamed at Wang Mi saying: "In this matter, You know, I know, Heaven
knows and Earth knows, 你知﹐我知﹐天知﹐地知. How come he say no one knows!"
Wang Mi was frightened and he went off with his gold.

To respect his honesty and an uncorrupted magistrate people called Yang
Zhen Mr Four Knows or 四知先生" Years later, the offspring of Yang Zhen
named their clan the "The Hall of Four Knows 四知堂", after the honesty
of their ancestor Yang Zhen.

(2) Yang Jian (楊堅)

Yang Jian was the Prime Minister of the Northern Zhou Dynasty (北周朝 556AD
to 581AD). His daughter was the wife of Emperor Yuwen Yun (宇文贇皇帝).
In 581AD he usurped the throne of Northern Zhou and established his own
dynasty, the Sui Dynasty (隋朝 581AD to 618AD). In 605AD Yang Jian was murdered
by his own eldest son Yang Guang (楊廣) who became the second Emperor of
the Sui Dynasty. Yang Guang constructed the longest man-made canal in the
world. The throne of Sui Dynasty was usurped by Li Yuan (李淵) in 618AD.
Li Yuan founded the Tang Dynasty (唐朝 618AD to 907AD).

(3) Yang Ye (楊業), the founder of the legendary "The Seven Generals of
the Yang Family 楊家七將", was a renowned general of the Song Dynasty (宋
朝 960AD to 1279AD). He was 60 years old when he was captured by the northern
invaders. He refused to surrender and went on hunger strike until he died.
Several of his sons also died in battles defending their country. His wife
and daughter-in-law led armies to do battles against the invaders. Several
films were made to portray the heroism of Yang Ye's family.

CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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Chinese surname - Li or Lee

Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 09-16-05 08:24

Chinese surname Li or Lee (李)
Li means: plum

The surname Li originated in an area referred to during the Qin Dynasty
(秦朝 221BC to 207BC) as the Longxi Prefecture (攏西郡). The present day
location of Longxi Prefecture is in Linyao county (臨洮縣103.8 degree East
and 35.7 degree North on the world map) of Gansu province (甘肅省).
-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------

李氏祠聯 The couplet for the ancestral temple of the Li clan

臚唱兒童三百輩, Lu2 chang4 er2 tong2 san bai3 bei4,
經傳道德五千言. Jing chuan2 Daode wu3 qian yan2.

Displaying to the children for 300 generations,
The song of the 5,000 words of the Dao Classic.

(Note: the founder of Daoism Li Er 李耳)

A poem for surname LI (李) by using the two radicals of 木+ 子 (Mu or wood)
+
and 子 (Zi or son) to compose this poem.

木榮花綻振春色,---Mu4 rong2 hua zhan4 zhen4 chun se4,
子教孫賢傳嘉風.---Zi3 jiao4 sun xian2 zhuan4 jia feng.

In spring, the trees grow luxuriantly and the flowers are blooming,
It is like your the tradition of your family where your children are
well cultured and grandchildren virtue.

A historical famous person - Li Yu (李煜 937AD to 978AD)

In 937AD Li Sheng (李昇) founded the Kingdom of Nantang (南唐 937AD to 975AD)
with his capital was at Jinling (金陵 present day Nanjing 南京 in Jiangsu
province). He changed the name of Jinling to Jiangning Fu (江寧府). Li Sheng
died in 943AD and was succeeded by his eldest son Li Jing (李璟). He was
crowned Yuanzong Emperor (元宗皇帝).

In 960AD Zhao Kuangyin (趙匡胤) founded the Song Dynasty (960AD to 1279AD)
and was crowned Emperor Taizu (太祖皇帝). Li Jing, the ruler of Nantang
(南唐) died in 961 and was succeeded by his 6th son Li Yu who was a man
of letters and excelled in painting and calligraphy. He was also interested
in music. In 975AD, Zhao Kuang Yin, the first Emperor of the Song Dynasty
attacked Nantang. Li Yu, the ruler of Nantang, surrendered without a fight.
Li Yu was honoured with the title of Weiming Hou (違命侯 or the Marquis
of Disobedience).

The following year Zhao Kuangyin died and was succeeded by his younger brother,
Zhao Guangyi (趙光義) who was crowned Emperor Taizong (太宗皇帝 976AD to
997AD) Zhao Guangyi changed Li Yu's title to 隴西郡公 or the Duke of the
Prefectire of Longxi.

In 978AD, on the night of 7th day of 7th Month , his birthday, Li Yu composed
this poem and he called it "虞美人 Yu Mei Ren The beautiful woman Yu"

春花秋月何時了?---Chun hua qiu yue4 he2 shi le?
往事知多少!----------Wang3 shi4 zhi duo shao4!

小樓昨夜又春風,---Xiao3 lou2 zyo2 ye4 you4 chun feng,
故國不堪回首月明中!
Gu4 guo2 bu4 kan hui2 shou3 yue4 ming2 zhong!

雕欄玉砌應猶在,---Diao lan2 yu4 qi4 ying you2 zai4,
只是朱顏改.---------Zhi3 shi4 zhu yan2 gai.

問君能有幾多愁?---Wen4 jun neng2 you3 ji duo chou2?
恰似一江春水向東流.
Qia4 si4 yi jiang chun shui3 xiang4 dong liu2!

When will the beautiful scene of spring flowers and autumn moon end?
It depends on how much you know about the past events!
The spring breeze blew on the little building last night,
When the moon is full I cannot bear to look back at the old country!

The carved balustrades and marble steps should still be there,
With a change of colour.
I ask you how much worry can you take?
It is like the water of a river flowing to the east

Having composed this poem Li Yu asked his wife Xiao Zhou (小周) to sing.
She was very sad. With tears welling up in her eyes she sang. Zhao Guangyi
(趙光義) heard about it and was not happy. Li Yu gave a copy of the poem
to one of his former officials who passed it around to other of his former
officials. All the former of officials Li Yu felt sad when they read these
lines:

故國不堪回首月明中!
Gu4 guo2 bu4 kan hui2 shou3 yue4 ming2 zhong!

問君能有幾多愁?---Wen4 jun neng2 you3 ji duo chou2?
恰似一江春水向東流.
Qia4 si4 yi jiang chun shui3 xiang4 dong liu2!

The two lines showed that Li Yu was still nostalgically thinking of his
extinct country. Having heard about the reactions of Li Yu's former officials
Emperor Zhao Guangyi was very angry. Knowing that Li Yu could not forget
his extinct country and in future he might harbour the intention of reviving
his country and rebel against the Song Dynasty. Emperor Zhao Guangyi had
him killed by putting poison in his food.

When Li Yu died he was only 42 years old. Generations later people compiled
Li Yu's poems and his father's poems into a book titled "The poems by the
two rulers of the Kingdom of Nantang 南唐二主詞". Recently people compiled
the forty odd poems by Li Yu into a book and called it "The poems by the
last ruler of Nantang 李後主詞".

CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
All rights reserved

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