Ancestral Roots · Wang

Author: Lao Shu
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-02-01
Features: Whether it is East Asians with yellow skin and black hair or Westerners with blonde hair and blue eyes, everyone is closely connected with "surnames." Surnames are not only related to a person's name but also mark the inheritance of caste; they contain a rich cultural and historical significance. In ancient China, surnames were the general term for "xing" (surname) and "shi" (clan name). According to the Chronicles of the Tongzhi·Brief Account of Clans and Surnames, "Before the Three Dynasties, surnames and clan names were separate. Men used clan names, while women used surnames." At that time, "shi" distinguished between nobility and commoners—"the noble had clan names, while the common had no clan names." "Xing," on the other hand, distinguished marriage. There were distinctions such as same surname, different surname, and collateral surname. If a man and a woman had the same clan name but different surnames, they could marry. However, if they had the same surname but different clan names, marriage was forbidden. After the Qin and Han dynasties, surnames and clan names were no longer distinguished. Later, surnames and clan names became synonymous with surnames. The Chinese have long had the tradition of the "Hundred Surnames," where surnames serve as markers of family. Due to differences in political and social status, even among the same surname, there were distinctions between nobility and commoners. During the Wei and Jin dynasties, people emphasized social status, and the "surnames of high and low status" (xingshang) and "clans of high and low status" (jingshang) emerged accordingly. Many from humble backgrounds sought to climb the social ladder by fabricating genealogies to join noble families. The "Hundred Surnames" actually includes over one hundred surnames, and by the Ming Dynasty, Wu Shen had collected over 1,900. Of the thousands of Chinese surnames still in use today, the top 100 account for 85% of the population, while the most common surnames number around 300. People often refer to the "Hundred Surnames" to denote the vast array of surnames, making it a synonym for the sum of all Chinese surnames. The "Hundred Surnames" is closely tied to the lives of every descendant of the Yan and Huang tribes. The question of "Who am I?" and "Where do I come from?" is not limited to philosophical discussions but is often truly reflected in the pursuit of ancestral roots. The history of Chinese surnames spans two to three thousand years, with the most recent ones emerging in modern times. Some originated from the various tribes of ancient China and the Han nationality, while others trace back to ethnic minorities or foreign influences. Most surnames share common ancestors, but over the centuries, due to reasons such as adoption, marriage into a family, granted surnames, and name changes, some surnames have different origins. To meet the needs of readers around the world who long to trace their roots, the publisher conceived the idea of compiling this series, Chinese Surnames·Our Ancestors and Lineages (a collection of the "Hundred Surnames"). This series is positioned as a cultural gift book that combines knowledge, appreciation, interest, and readability. It is edited by Professor Ge Jianxiong, Director of the Institute of History and Geography at Fudan University, and meticulously produced by Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House. In the spring of the new millennium, it was solemnly presented to the public as the first volume, featuring the top ten surnames (Li, Wang, Zhang, Liu, Chen, Yang, Zhao, Huang, Zhou, and Wu). Each surname is presented in its own volume, breaking the stereotype of academic tomes. With a combination of text and illustrations, full-color printed, it covers the origins of surnames, their historical evolution, current population distribution, blood type characteristics, prominent cultural figures, ancestral worship sites, and a list of. The text is concise and elegant, while the illustrations are beautiful and easy to understand. The collection includes color photographs, paintings, calligraphy and seals of famous figures, book covers and illustrations of famous works, photographs of scenic spots, and famous couplets from ancestral halls (). Readers will not only gain knowledge about surnames but also enjoy aesthetic pleasure. It can be cherished as a personal keepsake or given as an elegant gift to friends and family. May readers, after learning about their own and their family's origins and the history of their surnames, draw inspiration from the spirit of their ancestors—whose legacy of perseverance and innovation continues to thrive. In tracing the roots of their own clan and surname, they may also better cherish the shared roots of the Chinese nation, ensuring that the great tree of China remains deeply rooted and flourish in the forest of world civilizations.