Re: Chinese Name/Surname

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.joinet.net.au>]

No. 21 LIANG (±ç).

Liang means a beam, bridge or elevation.
Qiao Liang (¾ô ±ç)  means,  the beams of a bridge.
The surname Liang is about 2600 years old.

The surname Liang originated in an area referred to during the Han Dynasty
(º~´Â 206 BC to 220 AD) as the An Ding Prefecture (¦w©w°p). The present
day location of An Ding Prefecture is in Gu Yuan County (©T­ì¿¤) in Gansu
Province (¥ÌµÂ ¬Ù).

From time immemorial there had been continuous violent constant violent
conflicts  between the agricultural Xia Tribe (®L±Ú) and the Quan Rong
(¤ü¦¥), who were the marauding herdsmen, in the North Western part of the
land that we call modern China. Pillaging and plundering committed by the
Quan Rong went unabated throughout the Centuries.

In 827 BC Ji Jing (®V¹t)  was crowned as Zhou King Xuan (©P«Å¤ý) and 
reigned from 827BC to 782BC. Zhou King Xuan was the eleventh King of the
Zhou Dynasty (1134 BC to 256 BC). This constant menace by the Quan Rong
was not tolerated by Zhou King Xuan, so in 825BC he ordered Qin Zhong
(¯³¥ò), a descendant of Huang Di (¶À«Ò) or Yellow Emperor, to lead an
expedition force to pacify the North Western Region. Unfortunately the
expeditionary force was defeated by the Quan Rong and Qin Zhong was
killed in the battle and a large part of territory was lost to the Quan
Rong.

Qin Zhong had five sons, who swore that they would take revenge on the
Quan Rong and recover the lost territory. The five brothers sent a
petition to Zhou King Xuan asking for an army to take on the Quqn Rong.
Zhou King Xuan agreed and dispatched an army of more than seven thousand
troops, which were to be under the command of the five brothers.

On a chosen date they marched Northwest, with determination to have their
revenge. The brother fought bravely and the Quan Rong were defeated and
the lost territory was recovered.

After the victory Zhou King Xuan rewarded Qin Zhuang (¯³²ø),  the elder
son of Qin Zhong, a position as the Governor of the Northwest Region. Qin
Kang (¯³±d), the second son of Qin Zhong, was rewarded with authority by
Zhou King Xuan to rule a district in Xia Yang Liang Shan (®L¶§±ç¤s) near
the present day city of Han Cheng (Áú«°) in Shaanxi province (ÔE¦è¬Ù).
Zhou King Xuan also bestowed upon Qin Kang the title of Bo (§B) or Earl
which was hereditary. Qin Kang renamed his domain the State of Liang
(±ç°ê) and he was known as Liang Kang Bo (±ç±d§B) or Earl Liang Kang.

During the Spring and Autumn Period (¬K¬î®É¶¡ 722 BC to 481 BC), the
central authority of the land which was the Zhou Court, was weak.
Previously all the vassal States paid homage to the Zhou Court at least
once in every three years. As the central authority grew weaker and
weaker, the vassal States regarded the Zhou Court as a spent
force,because it had lost its power to intervene in disputes among the
vassal States. Large and powerful States began to conquer and annex the
small and weaker ones because they knew that the central authority could
do nothing to prevent them.

The state of Qin (¯³°ê), in present day Feng Xiang county (»ñµ¾¿¤) in
Shaanxi province, was a bordering State of Liang. Qin was a very powerful
and bellicose State which wanted to expand its territory. In 641 BC the
ruler of Qin called Ying Ren Hao (¾Æ¥ô¦n), (who ruled from 659 BC to 621BC) 
decided to expand Eastward. Eventually the State of Liang was conquered
and annexed by Qin.

The descendants of Liang Kang Bo adopted LIANG as their surname in 
remembrance of their extinct State.


CHUNG Yoon-Ngan         chungyn@mozart.joinet.net.au
http://www.joinet.net.au/~chungyn
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