Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 01-15-12 06:50
山中也有千年樹,---Shan zhong ye3 you3 qian nian2 shu4,
世上難逢百歲人.---Shi4 shang4 nan2 feng2 bai3 sui4 ren2.
There are trees as old as one thousand years in the forest,
It is hard to meet an one hundred-year-old man
---------------------------------------------------
The 48th most common Chinese surname DING 丁 (048)
Ding means: fourth in position; a male adult
The surname Ding is about 3,000 years old
The surname Ding originated in an area referred to during the Jin Dynasty
(晉朝 265AD to 420AD) as the Jiyang prefecture (濟陽郡). The present day
location of Jiyang prefecture is in the northwest of Dingtao county (定陶
縣 115.5 degree East and 35.1 degree North, on the world map) in Shandong
province (山東省).
In 1122BC, Zhou King Wu (周武王) destroyed the Shang Dynasty (商朝 1783BC
to 1135BC) and established the Zhou Dynasty (周朝 1134BC to 256BC). Zhou
King Wu not only rewarded his commander-in-chief General Jiang Ziya (姜子
牙) the heritable title of Hou (侯) or the Marquis, but also gave him authority
to rule a large district called Yingqiu (營丘 located in present day county
of Dongle 東樂縣 in Shandong province 山東省). General Jiang Ziya came to
be known as Qi Tai Gong (齊太公), the founder of the State of Qi.
General Jiang Ziya ruled the State of Qi until he died of old age and was
succeeded by his son Jiang Ji (姜伋). Although Jiang Ji was the ruler of
the State of Qi he was employed as a high-ranking official by Zhou King
Cheng (周成王1115BC to 1079BC), the second King of the Zhou Dynasty who
was the eldest son of Zhou King Wu. Jiang Ji had been a loyal and faithful
official for many years. Before Zhou King Cheng died he issued a decree stating
that Jiang Ji must continue to serve the future Kings of the Zhou Dynasty
until he died.
Zhou King Cheng died in 1079BC and was succeeded by his eldest son Ji Zhao
(姬釗) who was crowned Zhou King Kang (周康王). Jiang Ji continued to serve
Zhou King Kang until he died. After his death Zhou King Kang rewarded Jiang
Ji the posthumous title of Ding Gong (丁公) which was a reward for being
a loyal and faithful official to the Zhou Court.
The offspring of Jiang Ji were very proud of him and they adopted his posthumous
title of DING (丁) as their surname.
Jiang De (姜得), who succeeded his father Jiang Ji as the third ruler of
Qi, did not become an official in Zhou King Kang's administration. Instead
he appointed one of his younger brothers to follow their father's footsteps
as an official to serve the Zhou Court.
The couplet for surname Ding is;
源出姜姓, Yuan2 chu Jiang xing4,
望出濟陽.---Wang4 chu Jiyang
The surname Ding was evolved from from Jiang surname,
And it was originated from Jiyang
.....................................................
Prominent persons produced by the Ding clan:
(1) Ding Ling (丁玲 1905AD to 1986)
Ding Ling, the best-known revolutionary woman writer, was born on October
12, 1904 in Linli county (臨澧縣) in Hunan province (湖南省) in a town called
Anfu (安福), to a large and moderately prosperous landlord family. Her real
name was Jiang Bingzhi (蔣冰之) and Ding Ling was her pen-name. In spite
of the objection of the whole family Ding Ling and Yang Kaihui (楊開慧,
later, the wife of Mao Zedong 毛澤東) enrolled in a previously all-male high
school that had only just made coeducational.
While at the age of 14, Ding Ling lobbied and fought unsuccessfully for
the Hunan Authorities to grant equality of rights to women and to enable
women legally to inherit property.
She studied at the Universities of Beijing (北京大學) and Shanghai (上海
大學). She began to publish short stories in 1927 and was married to the
renowned writer Hu Yepin (胡也頻) who joined the Chinese Communist Party
(CCP) in 1929. Ding Ling joined the CCP in 1931. Both were members of the
League of Left Wing writers in Shanghai. In January 17, 1931, a group of
thirty six leftist writers (twenty nine men and eight women) were arrested
by the Kuomintang (國民黨). Among them were Ding Ling and Hu Yepin. In the
night of February 7, 1931, twenty -three Communists were executed by firing
squad at Longhua (龍華) in the outskirts of Shanghai. Din Ling was not among
the executed but she was to be commuted to under house arrest in Nanjing
(南京) to look after her baby son who was born in November the previous
tear, 1930. The father of her baby son was Hu Yepin.
In September 1936, the Underground Communists helped her to escape from
Nanjing and to trek to Baoan (保安) in Shaanxi province (陜西省). She arrived
in Baoan on November 12, 1936, just a few weeks after the completion of
the Long March.
In Baoan, she taught, wrote and published articles. She also established
a Cultural Association in Baoan and was its Chair-person.
In December 1936, Ding Ling obtained permission to visit the soldiers in
the front line. She wanted to know how the soldiers in front fought against
the Koumintang soldiers. When she was in the front line Mao Zedong sent
her the poem, as below, through the army telegram department. The poem was
called,
贈丁玲 Zeng Ding Ling
壁上紅旗飄落照,---Bi4 shang4 hong2 qi2 piao luo4 zhao4,
西風漫卷孤城.------Xi feng man4 juan3 gu cheng2.
保安人物一時新.---Baoan ren2 wu4 yi shi2 xin.
洞中開讌會,---------Dong4 zhong4 kai yan hui4,
招待出牢人.---------Zhao dai4 chu lao2 ren2.
纖筆一支誰與似,---Xian bi3 yi zhi shui2 yu3 si4,
三千毛瑟精兵.------San qian mao2 se4 jing bing.
陣圖開向隴山東.---Zhen4 tu2 kai xiang4 long3 Shandong.
昨天文小姐,---------Zuo2 tian wen2 xiao3 jie3,
今日武將軍.---------Jin ri4 wu3 jiang jun.
The last two lines:
昨天文小姐,---Zuo2 tian wen2 xiao3 jie3,
今日武將軍.---Jin tian wu3 jiang jun
Yesterday you were a refined Young Lady,
Today you are a General.
The Communists shifted their capital from Baoan to Yanan (延安). Ding Ling
was appointed a duty commander of the Security Forces. That was why Mao
Zdong called her a General.
In 1942, Ding Ling published her famous novel called "The Sun Shines Over
the Sanggan River 太陽照在桑乾河上" which had won her a Stalin Award in
1952. She was declared a rightist and was expelled from the CCP in 1957.
She was sent to work in a commune to undergo thought reform. She was finally
rehabilitated in 1978 while she was working in Shanxi province (山西省).
In February 1979 she was recalled back to Beijing when she was cleared from
all the charges against her in 1957. She released a statement saying that:
"It has been fifty-two years since I began writing stories in 1927, though
after 1958 there was a gap of twenty years. In the 1930s the Kuomintang
[國民黨 or the Nationalists] banned my books; after 1958 we ourselves banned
my books.....
Most of those who were struck down during the Great Cultural Revolution
were good people, as everyone knows full well..................."
Ding Ling passed away on March 4, 1986 in Beijing.
....................................................................
(2) Ding Ruchang (丁汝昌)
Ding Ruchang was from Anhui province (安徽省). He was an admiral in charge
of defending the harbour of Weihaiwei (威海衛) in Shandong province (山東
省). In 1894AD after China had lost the battle in Korea to the Japanese
, the Chinese North Sea fleet retreated into the naval base in Weihaiwei
in Shandong province. Many Japanese battleships arrived at Weihaiwei naval
base and surrounded the fleet. Admiral Ding Ruchang was defending the base.
The Japanese cajoled Admiral Ding to surrender, but Admiral Ding refused.
The Japanese were angry and the Japanese battleships opened fire. Admiral
Ding led the Chinese fleet and fought the Japanese to the finish. When the
sea battle was over the Chinese North Sea fleet was destroyed. Admiral Ding
committed suicide.
.....................................................................
(3) Ding Xianzhi (丁仙芝, 生卒年不詳)
京中守歲
守歲多然燭，通宵莫掩扉。
客愁當暗滿，春色向明歸。
玉斗巡初匝，銀河落漸微。
開正獻歲酒，千里間庭闈。
(Could anyone please translate this poem into English)
................................................
Posted to Overseas Chinese Forum at asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
|
|
The Asiawind forums are provided to you by
InTechTra Inc.
