Jiāng (surname 江)

Not to be confused with Jiāng (surname 姜) or Jiǎng (surname).
Jiāng
Origin
Word/nameState of Jiang (江国)
MeaningYangtze River
Other names
Alternative spellingChiang, Kong, Kang

Jiang (Chinese: 江; Jyutping: Gong1; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Kang, also romanized Chiang, Kong, Kang) is a Chinese surname, accounting for 0.26% of the Han Chinese population. It is the 52nd most common Chinese surname and is the 141st surname listed in the Hundred Family Surnames poem, contained in the line 江童顏郭 (Jiāng, Tóng, Yán, Guō). It is the 75th most common surname in China (2007),[1] and the 25th most common surname in Taiwan (2010).[2]

Origins

After Boyi helped Yu the Great bring flood control to near yellow river, Yu's son and successor Qi of Xia offered Boyi's son, Xuanzhong, the position of Lord of Jiangdi (Chinese: 江地 - modern Jiangling County in Hubei Province).[3] Boyi's descendants ruled the area as kings of an autonomous "River Kingdom" (Chinese: 江国; pinyin: Jiāng Guó) during the Shang dynasty and Western Zhou dynasty, with its capital city near today's Zhengyang County, Henan Province.[4]

During the Spring and Autumn period, the kingdom was often under attack from the neighboring states of Chu, Song, and Qi, each of which was larger than the "River Kingdom". While defending from neighbors' attacks, the Jiang state also had to deal with the Huai River's frequent flooding, which often inundated the kingdom's central areas. These difficulties prevented Jiang from developing significant economic or military power. It survived until 623 BC when it was destroyed by Chu.

At the time of the kingdom's destruction, many of its surviving inhabitants fled to what is now Henan Province[where?] and took the kingdom's name, "Jiang", as their clan name (shi).

Notable people named 江

Jiang Zemin (江泽民)

References

  1. ^ "公安部统计分析显示：王姓成为我国第一大姓". news.xinhuanet.com. Archived from the original on 2007-04-29.
  2. ^ 歷年大學聯招查榜服務
  3. ^ Tong Zhi - Shi Zu Lüe - Yi Guo Wei Shi 《通志·氏族略·以国为氏》.
  4. ^ Chinese: 《姓谱》：“伯益之裔，封于江陵，子孙以国为氏。