The surname Zhang is one of the common surnames in China, with a population of nearly 100 million, spread across the country and around the world. Where is the ancestral root of the surname Zhang? Some say Qinghe, Hebei, some say Taiyuan, Shanxi, and some say Puyang, Henan. In order to find out this issue, the Association invited famous experts and scholars from inside and outside the province to hold two academic seminars on the origin of the Zhang surname, conducted on-site inspections, and obtained a large amount of historical facts, confirming that the ancestor of the Chinese surname Zhang was Hui Gong. Huigong got his surname from Diqiu (now Puyang, Henan). Diqiu was the earliest ancestral home of the ancestors of the Zhang surname. The Zhang surname originated from Puyang, and other places could only be streams or branches.
1. Historical records and genealogy basis
We found 17 kinds of records about Hui Gong, the founder of the surname Zhang. "Shiben" states: "Wielding is used as a bow, and Mou Yi is used as an arrow." This is the earliest record of waving seen today. "Historical Records: The Chronicles of the Five Emperors" states: "The Yellow Emperor lived on the hill of Xuanyuan and married the daughter of Xiling, who was called Leizu. Leizu was the Yellow Emperor's concubine and gave birth to two sons, both of whom ruled the world. One day, he was known as Xuanyuan. Qingyang, Qingyang came to live in the river; on the second day, Changyi came to live in Ruoshui. "Yuanhe Surname Compilation" written by Linbao of the Tang Dynasty says: Qingyang, the fifth son of the Yellow Emperor, made bows and arrows for the bow star and worshiped the arc star, so his surname was Zhang. . "Ouyang Xiu of Song Dynasty's "New Book of Tang Dynasty: Genealogy List of Prime Ministers" states: "The Zhang family gave birth to the surname Ji. The fifth son of the Qingyang family, Shaohao, the Yellow Emperor's son, wielded the bow and arrow, and began to make bows and arrows. His descendants were given the surname Zhang. The Qianlong Dynasty of the Qing Dynasty re-edited the Genealogy of the Zhang Family: An Examination of the Origin of the Surname: "The Zhang family came from the Xuanyuan family of the Yellow Emperor, and was born to the young Wu Jintian family, also known as the Qingyang family. The fifth son made bows and arrows, and his official position was Gongzheng. He worshiped Hu Xing, held his position in the world, and gave him the surname Zhang. ”
From the above-mentioned documents, we can know that Hui is the ancestor of the Zhang family. Except for "Tongzhi" written by Zheng Qiao of the Song Dynasty, which believes that Jie Zhang is the ancestor of the Zhang family, there is no doubt in other historical books. However, Hui is the grandson of Huangdi, or the son of Huangdi; Hui is the son of Xuanxiao Qingyang family, or the son of Shaohao Qingyang family, but there are differences in our opinion that Hui is the grandson of Huangdi and the son of Xuanxiao Qingyang family. There are two bases for this: ① "Guoyu·Jinyu" states: "Of the twenty-five descendants of the Yellow Emperor, there are fourteen people with the surnames, and the surnames are Ji, You, Qi, Ji, Teng, Zhen, and Ren. , Xun, Xi, Gu, Xuan, Yi Shi. "(Two of them have the same surname of Ji, and two of them have the same surname of Ji). "Historical Records: Annotations of the Five Emperors", "Shiben", "Dadai Liji" and other documents have the same records. The Huangdizi earned ten There is no surname Zhang among the two surnames, which shows that the surname Zhang was not given by Huangdi, and Hui Gong was not the son of Huangdi, but his grandson. He was his uncle and brother to Emperor Zhuanxu and was a contemporary of him. ② Mr. He Guangyue, a famous contemporary ethnologist. Research shows that the Jintian clan of Shaohao was originally from the Dongyi clan and was not a descendant of the Qingyang clan of the Yellow Emperor, which ruled out the theory that Shaohao was the son of the Yellow Emperor. It is more credible that he was the son of the Qingyang clan of Xuanhuo.
However, in view of the fact that the issue of "whether Hui is the son or grandson of the Yellow Emperor" has been debated for thousands of years in history, and each has important documentary evidence; Hui lived in the era of ancient legends, and it is normal for later history books to be inconsistent and controversial. Therefore, our attitude is: the two viewpoints should respect each other, tolerate each other, seek common ground while reserving minor differences, and no one can force anyone to change their genealogy. We believe that as time goes by and the research on surname culture deepens, the understanding will gradually be unified.
2. Diwang Investigation
Why did Xuanxiao get the name Qingyang? This is related to the fact that since ancient times, our country has regarded "mountain south and water north as Yang". . Qingyang refers to the Yang of Qingshui (Qing and Qinggu are commonly used), and the Qinghe River flows through Puyang in ancient times.
The "Minutes of Du Shi Fangyu" states: "The Qishui River flows to the south of Neihuang County. The ditch is also the green river. "Another day: "Qishui... passes between Neihuang and Qingfeng, and its lower part flows into the river, so it is now in ruins. "The Book of the Former Han·Geography" states: "The Qinghe River flows out of the south of Neihuang County." "The above quotation shows that the ancient Qinghe River, Qihe River and Baigou River were the same river with different names. "The Book of Songs·Wei Feng·Meng" chapter: "The Chichi of the Meng holds the cloth and trade silk. Bandits come to trade silk, and when they come, they come to plot against me. Sending his son to Sheqi, as for Dunqiu..." "Sheqi" means "wading through Qishui", and "Qishui" means "ancient Qinghe"; "Dunqiu" is the name of the ancient town in the west of Puyang City and in Junxian County today. . This ancient poem also shows that there is an ancient Qinghe River near Diqiu. The villagers in Zhangyi Village, Banjia, and Diandang in Puyang City still call the north of the village Beiqinghe and the south of the village Nanqinghe. Zhang Yi's hometown, there is still the "Zhang Yi Temple Site" in the village. There are eight surnames in the village, including Zhang, Yin, and Li. Only Zhang is an old resident, and the others are all immigrants.
According to the "Li Family Genealogy" revised in the 25th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty: "The Li family spread out from Longxi and spread all over the country. During the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty, they moved from Hongdong to Wangjiazhuang in the north of Kaizhou, and then moved from Wangjiazhuang to Zhangyi Village in Qingyi. "The Yin Family Genealogy" continued during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty records: "The Yin family lived in Hongdong, Shanxi Province, and moved to Zhangyi Village, Qingyi during the Chenghua Period of the Ming Dynasty." Why is this place called "Qingyi"? Ding and the ancient Qing River flowed through it. This place is probably related to Xuan Xiao's fief "Qingyang". "Qingyi" still existed in the Ming Dynasty, but it no longer exists today. According to the famous historian Mr. Zhu Shaohou: "In ancient times, Diqiu (today's Puyang) was the transfer area between the Dongyi people and the Huangdi people. Therefore, the Yellow Emperor had to set up defenses in Diqiu, so he sealed his son Xuanxiao in Qing Dynasty. Yang." It can be seen from this that Hui Gong, the ancestor of the surname Zhang, lived in his father's fiefdom in the upper reaches of the Guqing River since he was a child. When he grew older, he assisted Emperor Zhuanxu in Diqiu. Because he was very smart and brave, he watched the arc stars at night, bent branches and made bows and arrows, which greatly improved the combat effectiveness of Zhuanxu's tribe. Bows and arrows were used for hunting, and the number of birds and beasts hunted increased unprecedentedly, which improved the living standards of the tribe; used in war, they defeated the labor tribes who competed with Zhuanxu for emperor, making Zhuanxu's territory "as far as Youling in the north and as far south as The site is bounded by quicksand in the west and Panmu in the east." Because of his outstanding achievements, Emperor Zhuanxu named him Gongzheng (also known as Gongzhang) and gave him the surname Zhang, which is in line with historical reality.
Some people say that there is more than one Qinghe River in China. There are Qinghe Rivers in Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Anhui and other provinces. How can we conclude that the ancient Qinghe River in Puyang is the location of Qingyang, Xuanxiao’s feudal city? This is Because Puyang was called Emperor Qiu in ancient times and Zhuan Xiang established his capital here, the four characters "Zhuan Xu's Legacy Capital" are still engraved on the four arches in the center of Puyang City. Emperor Zhuanxu and Emperor Ku were both buried in Diqiu after their deaths. The tombs still exist today, which is unique in Qinghe. Therefore, only the ancient Qinghe River near Diqiu is the location of Qingyang, the fiefdom of Xuanxiao, and Xuanxiao was also named Qingyang clan because of the fiefdom of Qingyang.
3. Results of contemporary family history research
Mr. He Guangyue’s argument that he was the son of the Xuanxiao Qingyang family is quite authoritative in today’s historical circles and provides a basis for studying the origin of the Zhang surname. important basis. Mr. Xie Junxiang, a well-known expert on ethnic history, confirmed that the surname Zhang originated from Puyang after years of research and verification. His research results were published in domestic and foreign newspapers such as "European Times" and "Henan Radio and Television News" in 1994.
The above arguments fully prove: Hui Gong is the ancestor of the Zhang surname. He got the surname because of the invention of the bow and arrow. The ancestral roots of the Zhang surname are in Puyang, which is the origin of the Zhang surname.
In addition, in later generations, some people took the word as their surname, and some changed their surname for various reasons. For example, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was a Jie Zhang in the Jin State named Zhang Hou. He fought bravely and made outstanding military exploits in the Battle of Qi'an in Jin Dynasty. His descendants took his name as their surname and changed their surname to Zhang. During the Warring States Period, Fan Ju, a native of the Wei State, changed his surname and name to avoid persecution by his enemies and called himself Zhang Lu. He entered the Qin State in the west, made many suggestions for the King of Qin, and rose to the position of power due to his merits. Zhang Liao, a famous general of the Three Kingdoms, was originally named Nie. Zhang Yan, leader of the Black Mountain Uprising Army in the late Han Dynasty, was originally named Chu. There are also ethnic minorities who changed their surname to Zhang. In contemporary China, people with the surname Zhang exist among more than a dozen ethnic minorities including Hui, Manchu, Tibetan, and Miao. But this is just a branch, a flow, not a source.
4. Migration of Zhang surname
How did the ancestors of Zhang surname move from Puyang, where they got their surname, to the whole country and the world? This is a big topic and cannot be explained in a short article. Clear. Now we only talk about our opinions based on our preliminary investigation.
The first large-scale migration of the ancestors surnamed Zhang should be during the flood control period of Dayu. At that time, there were floods all over the place, and Puyang in the Central Plains was low-lying, and there was even a vast ocean. In order to survive, the ancestors had no choice but to live on higher ground, fleeing to nearby hills or mountains, where they settled and multiplied, and then gradually moved to all parts of the country. This flood roughly occurred during the Yao and Shun periods after Emperor Zhuanxu and Emperor Ku, and it was also after Hui Gong received his surname. At first, Yao ordered Zhuanxu's son Gun to control floods and visited Puyang. To this day, there are still remains of "Gun Dike" in Puyang. Volume 2 of "Kaizhou Chronicles" written by Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty (Puyang was called Kaizhou in the Ming Dynasty) contains the poem "Gun Di" written by Sima Guang of the Song Dynasty: "In ancient times, Gun Di, in East County (today's Puyang), has always had sparse fireworks. The embankment is hundreds of miles away. , with a population of tens of thousands..." Unfortunately, Gun, who once built embankments to control floods in Puyang, failed to control the floods for nine years due to incorrect methods, and was killed by Shun in Yushan. Shun also sent Dayu, Gun's son, to control the floods. He led the people to dig mountains and rivers, and controlled the floods for thirteen years. He passed through the house three times without entering, and finally brought the floods to a level. This flood lasted for 22 years and forced many people to leave their homes to escape the flood.
However, I have to ask which province and county the ancestors surnamed Zhang fled to at that time. Since I have not found any conclusive evidence, I cannot make false claims. But according to reading history, we know that Emperor Zhuanxu and Emperor Ku both built their capitals in Diqiu (today's Puyang). Why did Emperor Yao move the capital to Pingyang (today's southwest of Linfen, Shanxi Province)? Why did Emperor Shun move the capital to Puban (today's Puyang)? Today's Puzhou, southwest of Yongji County, Shanxi Province)? Why did Dayu move the capital to Anyi (now northwest of Xia County, Shanxi Province)? I'm afraid it's all directly related to this great flood. The characteristics of China's terrain are "high in the northwest and low in the southeast. For ten miles of land, there are three feet of depression." In the era of monstrous floods, it is no wonder that Emperor Yao, Emperor Shun, and Emperor Yu all moved their capitals to Shanxi. Just imagine, if the leaders and capital of the tribal alliance have moved away, how can the common people not follow them? Therefore, people in Puyang, who have always suffered from floods, tend to escape from floods to the west, and if they don't go to Shanxi, they go to Shaanxi. During that period, the ancestors surnamed Zhang fled from their hometown of Diqiu (today's Puyang) where they got their surname to Shanxi and other places, and then moved from Shanxi to various places, or moved back to their hometown of Puyang, which is more in line with historical reality.
The second great migration of the ancestors surnamed Zhang occurred in 132 BC (the third year of Emperor Yuanguang of the Han Dynasty), when the Yellow River breached the Huzi Embankment in Puyang. People have loved their homeland since ancient times. After Dayu calmed down the flood, it is certain that some of the ancestors who fled to other places came back. After the Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin and other dynasties, especially during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Puyang area belonged to the Wei State and had considerable economic and cultural development. But in the Han Dynasty, the people of Puyang encountered a breach in the Huzi Embankment of the Yellow River, flooding sixteen counties, and the whole country east of Puyang became Zeguo. They were flooded again for twenty-two years. How could people not flee without food or drink? Where to go? In order to survive and escape from floods, they had no choice but to take the old route and flee to high hills or mountains. After that, in 11 AD during the Xinmang period, the Yellow River Autonomous Pavilion (today's Puyang) burst, which was the second time in history that the Yellow River changed its course and flowed through the counties east of Puyang for 59 years. In the 10th year of Xining in the Northern Song Dynasty, the Yellow River broke through Cao Village in Puyang. This was the third time in history that the Yellow River changed its course. It affected 45 counties and counties and flooded 300,000 hectares of people's fields. According to historical records, the Yellow River breached the territory of Puyang more than 100 times, coupled with droughts and insect plagues. Each flood and drought disaster forced the ancestors to leave their homes and flee to various places.
In addition to floods, war is another important reason for the many migrations of the ancestors named Zhang. Puyang is located in the Central Plains and has always been a battleground for military strategists. The Battle of Chucheng Pu in the Spring and Autumn Jin Dynasty, the Battle of Puyang between Zhang Han and Xiang Yu in the Qin Dynasty, the Battle of Puyang between Cao Cao and Lu Bu in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and the Battle of Chanyuan in the Liao Dynasty in the Northern Song Dynasty took place here. Here, every war forced the ancestors to migrate to the relatively stable south. According to the book "The Roots and Naming of Chinese Surnames" compiled by Mr. Wang Daliang and Meng Fanye, due to wars, "the ancestors of the surname Zhang migrated from the Central Plains to all directions. There were several major trends. The first time was At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, due to Dong Zhuo's Rebellion and successive years of war, the Central Plains region was severely damaged, and the ancestors surnamed Zhang who lived here were forced to move south; the second time was at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty, when the Xiongnu and Jie, Xianbei, Di, Qiang, etc. The armies of ethnic minorities entered the Central Plains and destroyed the Western Jin Dynasty established by the Han landlord class in Luoyang. The people suffered profound sufferings. The ancestors of the Central Plains with the surname Zhang once again moved south on a large scale. At the same time, some ancestors with the surname Zhang also moved to Northeast and northwest regions; the third time was when the Jin soldiers invaded south, destroyed the Northern Song Dynasty regime with its capital in Kaifeng, and occupied the north and south of the Yellow River. The ancestors here surnamed Zhang once again moved south on a large scale and took refuge in the area south of the Yangtze River. In addition to the three migrations, there were more small-scale migrations, so that the children of Zhang gradually spread all over the country."