Fang Family Name#

Family Name: Fang, Pronunciation: fāng

Distribution of the Fang Family Name#

• Henan Commandery: In the second year of Emperor Gaozu of Han (205 BC), it was renamed from Fengsan Commandery, with its administrative center located in Luoyang (now northeast of Luoyang City, Henan Province).
• Xin'an Commandery: Initially based in Shixin (now Chun'an, Zhejiang Province), it was later moved to She County, Anhui Province.

Origin of the Fang Family Name#

The Fang family name has a long history of nearly 4,700 years, tracing its origins back to the Fang Lei lineage. Lei was the eldest son of Yuwang, the eleventh-generation descendant of the Divine Farmer Yan Emperor. When the Yellow Emperor fought against Chi You, Lei was granted a fief at Fangshan (now Yuzhou City, Henan Province) for his contributions. After receiving the fief, his descendants adopted the surname Fang Lei. During the reign of King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty, a general named Fang Shu emerged, known for his wisdom and bravery. He was tasked with suppressing a rebellion by the Jingman tribe, making significant contributions to the revival of the Zhou Dynasty. As a result, many Fang family genealogies state that they descend from Fang Shu, a high-ranking official of the Zhou Dynasty.

Hall Names (Tanghao):#

• Henan Hall, Dunxu Hall, Liugui Hall, Liben Hall, Lunxu Hall, Liugeng Hall, Duyi Hall, Yongsi Hall, Daxun Hall, Youqing Hall, Yongxi Hall, Baiyun Hall, Faxiang Hall, Shien Hall, Zhuangyou Hall, Guanli Hall, Yangmu Ting, Guangyuan Hall, Guangqi Hall, Zhengxue Hall, Shuoyuan Hall.

Migration and Distribution#

During the Pre-Qin period, the Fang family was active in Henan but did not become prominent. It was not until the late Western Han Dynasty that they migrated to northern Anhui, where they began to thrive and form a significant clan. By the Tang Dynasty, the Fang family name had spread throughout the Central Plains, East China, and the Jiangnan region. During the Song and Qing dynasties, they also appeared in Hainan, Guangdong, Fujian, and Taiwan. In the Song Dynasty, there were approximately 450,000 people with the Fang surname, accounting for about 0.58% of the national population, ranking 35th in frequency. Fujian was the province with the largest number of Fang people, accounting for about 37% of the total national Fang population. The main distribution of the Fang family was in Fujian, Anhui, and Zhejiang, which together accounted for 78% of the national total. In the Ming Dynasty, the Fang population was around 440,000, ranking 48th in the national frequency, with a growth rate of only 20% over the 600 years from the Song to the Ming Dynasty. During this period, the distribution of the Fang family shifted from the north and south, with a focus on Zhejiang and Anhui.

Notable Figures with the Fang Surname:#

• Fang Shu: A minister during the reign of King Xuan of Zhou, who led an army of 3,000 chariots in a successful attack on the Chu state, playing a key role in the revival of the Zhou Dynasty. His reputation was extremely high, as depicted in the "Fang Shu" chapter of the Book of Songs.
• Fang Fengchen: The top scholar (zhuangyuan) of the Song Dynasty from Chun'an, Zhejiang. A renowned educator, he wrote works such as Explanations of the Classic of Filial Piety, Commentary on the Book of Documents, and Introduction to the Study of Things.
• Fang Hui: A famous poet and writer from Huizhou, Anhui. His works reflected the hardships of the common people.
• Fang Weixia: A revolutionary martyr and educator, a teacher of Mao Zedong. He was a key leader in the August 1 Nanchang Uprising and the Guangzhou Uprising, serving as the director of the Political Department of the Minxi Red Army School and the Minister of Education and Justice of the Chinese Soviet Republic. He was assassinated in 1936 due to betrayal.