The Rong Clan#

Surname: Rong, pronounced as róng

Distribution of the Rong Clan#

• Jiangling Commandery: Originally part of the Ying Commandery of the Chu State during the Spring and Autumn Period, it was established as Jiangling County during the Han Dynasty and later renamed Jiangling Commandery in the Southern Qi Dynasty. It is located in present-day Jiangling County, Hubei Province, and the surrounding areas of eastern Sichuan.
• Fufeng Commandery: Established by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, it is situated to the west of present-day Chang'an County, Shaanxi Province.

Origins of the Rong Clan#

The Rong surname is relatively rare. It can be found in Qingyuan, Liaoning; Wuhai, Inner Mongolia; Lichuan, Hubei; Dongming, Shandong; and Yanshi, Henan.

Origins of the Rong Surname:#

1. Derived from the Jiang surname: During the Zhou Dynasty, there was a state called Rong, which was a vassal of the Qi State. After the fall of Rong, its noble descendants adopted the state name as their surname.
2. Derived from official titles: In the Zhou Dynasty, there was an official in charge of military equipment named Rong You; his descendants also adopted the Rong surname.
3. Descendants of Wei Zi of Song: According to historical records, after King Cheng of Zhou quelled the rebellion led by Wu Geng, he granted the area surrounding the former capital of Shang to Wei Zi Qi, who established the state of Song with its capital in Shangqiu. His descendants took the Rong surname. This branch of the Rong clan is prominent in Jiangling Commandery (present-day Jiangling County, Hubei Province).
4. Derived from ethnic minorities: Some members of the Rong clan may have originated from ethnic minorities.

Founding Patriarchs of the Rong Clan:#

• Xuyu Rong
• Wei Zi Qi
• Rong Xu Xuan
• Du Rong
• Rong Lu

Migration and Distribution:#

Another theory about the origin of the Rong surname suggests that it originated from a small state called Rong during the Zhou Dynasty. After the fall of Rong, its royal descendants adopted the state name as their surname.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, there were ethnic minorities in the north called the Rong people, who later established the state of Rong (located southeast of present-day Cao County, Shandong Province). Over time, the Rong people intermarried with the Han people, adopted Han culture, and took the state name as their surname. At the end of the Qin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty, a Rong noble named Rong Ci held positions such as “Lian Ao” and “Duke.” He was awarded the title of Marquis of Liuqiu for his military achievements in battles against the Qin. In the fifth year of Empress Gao (Lü Zhi’s reign, 183 BCE), Rong Ci’s son, Rong Anguo, inherited the title of Marquis of Liuqiu, while Rong Ci himself retired to Huaiyin. In the early years of Emperor Jing of Han (156 BCE), Rong Anguo’s son, Rong Jiacheng, was granted the title of Marquis of Jing. Due to Rong Jiacheng’s diligence and talent, Emperor Jing granted him the “Cètang” (a place for storing ancient texts), located between Jia Mountain and Qu'a. Rong Jiacheng built a luxurious estate there, which became the ancestral home of the Rong clan in Jiangling Commandery.

Over time, the Rong clan prospered, and the Cètang area became a bustling market for trade and a popular destination for scholars and officials. However, the clan faced various hardships, leading to economic decline and dispersion of its members to places like Yangzhou, Guangdong, and northern China. By the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, only 29 generations of the Rong clan were recorded in genealogies.

Representative Figures of the Rong Clan:#

• Rong Ci: A key figure who assisted Emperor Gaozu of Han in unifying China. He played a significant role in conquering the Qin Dynasty and defeating Xiang Yu.

Clan Surnames and Generation Sequences:#

• Rong Clan in Xinghua, Jiangsu: “Cǎi Dìng Fú, Jiǔ Shēng Zhōng Cháo Wén.”
• Rong Clan in Hanjiang, Jiangsu: “Zhào Cháng Yǒu Hè, Guó Zhì Qí Jiā Shèng.”
• Rong Clan in Cibei, Zhejiang: First generation: “Bǎi Qiān Wàn Yì Yuán, Xiǎng Lì Zhēn Sēn Róng Xiào Rú Duān Gǎo Fú Shòu Rén Yì Lǐ Zhì Wén Xíng Zhōng Xìn”; Second generation: “Zhèng Yì Míng Dào, LìDé Cún Chéng, Dūn Lún Chì Jì Xiǎn Táng Huái Qīng, Sòng Fēn Yǒng Liè, Kè Zhèn Jiā Shēng.”
• Rong Clan in Shapingba, Chongqing: “Kè Sī Zhù, Yuán Qí Guāng Zōng, Wàn Shì Xīng Chéng, Xué Kāi Guó, Xiáng Dé Zé, Dìng Bāng Cháng.”
• Rong Clan in Huilai, Guangdong: “Zhèn Jiā, Guāng Míng Zhèng Dà.”
• Rong Clan in Guizhou: “Shì Dé Shēng Lóng, Shào Jiā Shēng.”
• **Another branch of the