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May 8, 2016

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Tracing the origins of the L菤 family

THEIR’S might not have been the most common family name in China, but one of the oldest: The L菤 family derived from one of the oldest surnames in China, and counts wise descendants among its ranks.

With an estimated population of 5.7 million in China, the number of L菤 accounts for about 0.46 percent of the Chinese population.

There are three major sources for the families of L菤 in China.

The earliest branch derived from the Jiang family, descendants of the Yan Emperor more than 5,000 years ago. The family of Jiang later developed into four different branches, with one of them granted the kingdom of L菤 in today’s Nanyang City of Henan Province during the Xia Dynasty (2100-1600 BC). Many family members surnamed themselves both Jiang and L菤 at the time.

The brilliant adviser L菤 Shang who helped King Wen and King Wu of Zhou overthrow Shang Dynasty (1600-1100 BC) is one of them. He was more widely-known by the name Jiang Ziya, and for the proverb “Jiang Tai-gong fishes with a hookless and baitless line, waiting for those willing to bite.”

The L菤 Kingdom was then conquered by the Chu during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). More descendants surnamed themselves L菤 to commemorate the mother kingdom.

A second source came from a Wei family during King Wen of Zhou, who was granted the kingdom of Wei. Yet one of the descendants was later granted the land of the L菤 in today’s Huo County of Shanxi Province during the Spring and Autumn Period, and renamed themselves L菤.

There was later another L菤 Kingdom in today’s Xincai County of Henan Province.

Minorities like the Xianbei, Man, Li, Tu, Mongols, Tujia and Chaoxian (Korean) also joined the L菤.

Originally from today’s Henan Province, the L菤 family expanded to Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces during the Northern and Southern Dynasties (AD 420-589). They migrated southward to Fujian and Guangdong provinces in Song Dynasty (1368-1644), and were found in Taiwan in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

A notable L菤 is L菤 Buwei, a discerning merchant in the Warring States Period (476-221 BC) who became chancellor of the Qin Kingdom.


 

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