Re: Surname - Wan (English transulation - ten thousand)

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

Dear Lloyd,

Here is the story of surname WAN

Chinese surname WAN (萬) 
Wan means: numeral word for ten thousand
The surname Wan is about 2600 years old.

The surname Wan originated in an area referred to during the Han Dynasty
( 漢朝 206BC to 220AD) as the Fu Feng Prefecture (扶風郡). The present
day location of Fu Feng Prefecture is in the east of Xian Yang county
(咸陽縣) of Shaanxi province (陜西省).

Bi Gong Gao (畢公高) was the fifteenth brother of Ji Fa (姬發), who in
1122BC, destroyed the Shang Dynasty (商朝1783BC to 1122BC) and established
the Zhou Dynasty (周朝 1134BC to 256BC). Ji Fa, who was better known as
Zhou King Wu (周武王), appointed Bi Gong Gao as an official to help him to
administer the vast empire that he inherited from the preceding Dynasty.

During the Spring and Autumn Period ( 春秋時間 722BC to 481BC) in 676BC
Ji Wei Zhu (姬佹諸) became the ruler of the powerful State of Jin (晉國)
which is located in the present day Yi Cheng Xian (翼城縣) in Shanxi
province (山西省). In 661BC Ji Wei Zhu wanted to expand his territory by
conquering his neighbouring States. Ji Wei Zhu decreed that he was the
commamder-in-chief of the Jin armed forces and his son Ji Shen Sheng
(姬申生), the crown prince, was to be his deputy. The ruler of Jin also
appointed two generals, Bi Wan (畢萬) and Zhao Su (趙夙) as his 
assistants. Bi Wan was a descendant of Bi Gong Gao. With a large army the
ruler of Jin set out to conquer its neighbouring States with the
intention to annex as much land as he possibly could.

At the end of the year Jin had conquered and annexed the States of Huo
(霍國 present day Huo Xian 霍縣 in Shanxi province) and Geng (耿國
present day He Jin county  河津縣 in Shanxi province). Again in 658BC
they conquered the States of Wei (魏國 present day Rui Cheng county 芮城縣
in Shanxi province) and Yu (虞國present day Ping Lu county  平陸縣 in
Shanxi province). In 655BC they also conquered and annexed the State of
Guo (虢國 present day Shan Xian 陜縣 in Henan province 河南省).

Ji Wei Zhu rewarded General Bi Wan by delegating him the authority to
administer the former territory of the State of Wei. Bi Wan lived in his
new domain until he died of old age. His children adopted WAN (萬) as
their surname in remembrance of him.


CHUNG Yoon-Ngan  ( 鄭  永  元 ).
chungyn@mozart.joinet.net.au
Copyright 1999. All rights reserved.


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 30 Dec 1999 17:19:11 EST
From: WANCOTI@aol.com
To: chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au
Subject: Surname - Wan (English transulation - ten thousand)

Greetings,
Would you please help me about my last name history and origin etc.
My father (deceased) who migrated to Jamaica told me that the village he came 
from was Sheung Yen, located in The New Territory.
I would be very grateful for any information you can pass on to me.
I am presently living in the Miami area in Florida, USA.

Regards,

Lloyd G. Wan