Southern central Henan and north of the Huaihe River in Anhui
The surname Mei ranks 136th in China today, accounting for about 0.1 of the Han population.
The origin of "Mei"
1. Comes from the surname Zi, a descendant of Shang Tang. According to "Tongzhi? Clan Briefing" and "Tangshu? Genealogy List of Prime Ministers", etc., during the Yin and Shang Dynasties, King Taiding granted his younger brother Yumei (southeast of today's Bozhou, Anhui Province) the title of earl, and was known as Meibo in the world. During the Shang Dynasty, Mei Bo, the king of the Mei Kingdom, was mounded by King Zhou, and his descendants took the land as their surname. 2. Modified by other people. According to the "Book of Wei", the Southern Barbarians had the surname Mei in the Han Dynasty; according to the "Old Book of Tang", Chief Xi of Beidi had the surname Mei; in the Qing Dynasty, a Manchurian surname was born in Shenyang; also, the Eight Banners of the Qing Manchuria had the surname Mei Jia. It was changed to the surname Mei; the chieftain of Kaizhou, Guiyang Prefecture, Guizhou in the Qing Dynasty had the surname Mei; today the Manchu, Tujia, Yi, Mongolian, Li, Dongxiang, Xibo and other ethnic groups have this surname.
Got the surname of the ancestor
Mabel. He was a direct minister in the late Shang Dynasty and served as a minister during the reign of King Zhou. He was upright and outspoken. When he saw King Zhou's debauchery and immorality, he went out to remonstrate with his face several times, but King Zhou refused to accept it. From time to time, some ministers advised him that his loyal words would go against his ears, so as not to lead to death, but Meibo made a generous statement: "If everyone dares not speak out after Wen's advice is dead, what else does the court want us ministers to do? He is still the same as before. Whenever he encounters Zhou, Wang Wudao pointed out in court that King Zhou couldn't bear it anymore, so he killed Meibo and cruelly chopped Meibo's body into meat paste. Meibo was famous for his outspokenness and unyielding loyalty at the risk of death. After King Wu destroyed the Shang Dynasty, he granted the descendants of Meibo to Huangmei and named him Zhonghou. Later generations of his descendants took the ancestral fiefdom as their surname and called it the Mei surname. They respect Uncle Mei as the originator of their surname.
Distribution of the surname Mei
The surname Mei is the 136th surname in China today, with a relatively large population. They are numerous and widely distributed, accounting for about 0.1% of the country's Han population. The ancestor of the surname is Meibo. Originated in Huangmei, Hubei Province, they settled in Runan, Henan Province in the early days. After migration from generation to generation, they are now mainly located in Yunnan, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui, Jiangsu and Henan, accounting for about 74% of the Han population with the surname Mei in the country. Many historical celebrities such as Mei Zhili, Mei Yiqi and Mei Lanfang have emerged with the surname Mei.
Hall number
?Runan Hall?Yuanling Hall?etc.
Mei Cheng: The grandson of Mei Wending, a minister and astronomical mathematician in the Qing Dynasty. In the 53rd year of Kangxi's reign, he became a Jinshi, was awarded the title of Editor, and became the Censor of Zuodu. Participated in the revision of "The Essence of Mathematics" and "The Examination of Lixiang", etc. There are also "Chishui Treasures" and so on.
Mei Wending: Xuancheng native, astronomical mathematician of the Qing Dynasty. He systematically investigated ancient and modern Chinese and foreign calendars, introduced European mathematics, and comprehensively studied Chinese and Western calendars, which had a great influence on later generations. He wrote more than 80 kinds of works in his life, which are full of scientific value. There are "Mei's Calendar Complete Book", "Ancient and Modern Calendar Comprehensive Examination", etc., which were compiled by later generations into "Mei's Series". His two younger brothers are also good at astronomy and mathematics.
Mei Lanfang: a native of Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, a modern Peking Opera performing artist, the first of the Four Famous Dancing Artists, and a world-famous Peking Opera artist. Born into a family of Peking Opera, he debuted on stage at the age of eleven, worked in Tsing Yi, and also performed as a swordsman and a male actor, creating the Mei School of art. Together with Shang Xiaoyun, Cheng Yanqiu and Xun Huisheng, they are known as the "Four Famous Dan". After liberation, he served as the director of the Peking Opera Theater in Beijing. He was still able to perform on stage at the age of over sixty. He was also good at calligraphy, good at painting flowers, and his elegant penmanship. Representative plays include "The Drunken Concubine" and "Farewell My Concubine". Died in 1961 at the age of 67. There is "Collected Works of Mei Lanfang".