The Zang Clan#

Surname: Zang, pronounced as “zāng”

Distribution of the Zang Clan#

Donghai Commandery: Also known as Tancheng Commandery or Haizhou. Historically, there were three locations of Donghai Commandery:**

1. Its administrative center was in Tancheng (present-day Tancheng, Shandong Province).
2. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Donghai Commandery was established in Haiyu County (present-day Changshu, Jiangsu Province); later, the headquarters were moved to Jingkou (present-day Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province). At that time, its jurisdiction included parts of present-day Feixian and Linyi counties in Shandong Province, the southern part of Ganyu County in Jiangsu Province, Zaozhuang City in Shandong Province, the eastern part of Piji County in Jiangsu Province, and the northern parts of Suqian and Guannan counties in Jiangsu Province.
3. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Eastern Wei Dynasty, and the subsequent Sui and Tang dynasties, Haizhou was used as the name for Donghai Commandery, with its headquarters in Qushan (present-day Haizhou Town, Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province). Its jurisdiction covered the area east of present-day Donghai County in Jiangsu Province and north of the Huai River.

Origin of the Zang Clan#

The Zang surname is relatively rare in China, ranking 215th in terms of population (112th in the Song Dynasty version of the “Hundred Surnames”), accounting for approximately 0.03% of the Han Chinese population. It is primarily found in provinces such as Shandong, Jiangsu, and Hebei.

Possible Origins of the Zang Surname:

1. Derived from the Ji surname: It originates from the fiefdom of Zangyi, which belonged to the son of Duke Xiao of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period. This type of surname is named after the location of the fiefdom.
2. Derived from the Zi surname: It comes from Xin, a son of Duke Hui of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period, whose courtesy name was Zang. His descendants adopted his courtesy name as their surname.
3. Also derived from the Zi surname: The Zang surname may originate from descendants of the royal family of the State of Lu, which was the fiefdom of Boqin, the eldest son of Duke Dan of Zhou (the brother of King Wu of Zhou). Therefore, both branches of the Zang surname stem from the royal family of the Zhou Dynasty, which was of the Ji lineage.
4. Derived from a professional title: In ancient times, some surnames were based on the titles of low-ranking officials or servants.
5. Derived from an official position: During the Han Dynasty, there was an official position called “Kuzang Cheng,” and some people adopted this title as their surname.

Founding Patriarchs of the Zang Clan: Ji ?? (Zang ??, Zang Xibo)

Migration and Distribution: The Zang clan is a typical Han Chinese surname, currently ranking 241st in the list of surnames, with a population of about 381,000 people, accounting for approximately 0.024% of the national population.

The distant ancestors of the Zang clan can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period. Duke Xiao of Lu had a son named ??, whose courtesy name was Zang. He was granted the fiefdom of Zang and established the state of Zang as a vassal of the State of Lu, and thus people began to call him Zang ??. His descendants adopted the place name “Zang” as their surname.

Clan Halls:

• Donghai Hall: Established based on the historical region of Donghai Commandery.
• Tancheng Hall: Established based on the historical region of Tancheng Commandery; also known as Xiapi Hall.

Notable People with the Zang Surname:

• Zang Ba: Courtesy name Xuan Gao, from the Fangcheng Town area of Feixian County, he was a famous general under Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period. He served as the governor of Langya, equivalent to the highest administrative official in the Linyi region. Known for his integrity and righteousness, Li Jingxing referred to him as a man of noble character in his “Commentary on the Three Kingdoms.”
• Zang Kejia: (October 8, 1905 – February 5, 2004) Also known by the names Zang Yuanwang and pen names Sun Quan and He Jia, he was a prominent disciple of the poet Wen Yiduo and was honored as a “poet of the peasants.”