The 刘 surname

Liu (刘) is one of the major surnames of Taishan. According to the genealogical material collected in Origins of Taishan's Surnames (《台山姓氏源流》), most Liu of Taishan trace themselves to the brothers Liu Zhaoxiong (刘兆熊) and Liu Jun (刘俊), who migrated south from Zhuji Lane (珠玑巷) in Nanxiong (南雄) in the Southern Song: Zhaoxiong settled at Li'ao (里坳) in Xinning (新宁), while Liu Jun's line lived first at Hengtou (亨头) in Xinhui (新会), and his descendants later moved into Hengshui (横水) and other places in Taishan; another line, at Dongshan (东山) in Guanghai (广海), says it comes from a different distant ancestor. The clan lives mainly in Dajiang (大江), Shuibu (水步), Fucheng (附城), Chonglou (冲蒌), Guanghai and other places.^[1][2]

Origin of the surname[edit]

According to Origins of Taishan's Surnames, the Liu come from the Qi (祁) surname and are descendants of Emperor Yao (帝尧); Yao's son Yuanming (源明) was enfeoffed at Liu (刘) and took the name of his fief as his surname. Later Liu Lei (刘累) raised dragons for the Xia dynasty and was granted the clan name Yulong (御龙氏). In the Spring and Autumn period Shi Hui (士会) fled to the state of Qin; his descendants who stayed in Qin took back the surname Liu and later moved to the town of Feng (丰邑) in Pei County (沛县), from which Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (刘邦), came.^[2]

The genealogy the book quotes says that during Huang Chao's (黄巢) uprising at the end of the Tang, Liu Xiang (刘祥) took his family to shelter at Shibi (石壁), Ninghua County (宁化县), Tingzhou (汀州), Fujian; his 16th-generation descendant Guangchuan (广传) had fourteen sons, called the “Fourteen Ju” (十四巨), of whom Juquan (巨泉) went south and settled in Baochang County (保昌县), Nanxiong, and Juquan's fourth son Qinglian (清廉) moved again, to Zhujili (珠玑里), 14th tu (图), Niutian Village (牛田村), Shixing County (始兴县).^[2]

Coming to Taishan[edit]

The genealogy says that Qinglian's sons, the three brothers Liu Jun, Liu Zhaoxiong and Liu Shating (刘沙亭), because of “the Consort Hu disaster” (胡妃之祸), migrated south with Luo Gui (罗贵) and others, ninety-seven households in all, in the third month of the 1st year of Kaixi of the Southern Song (1205), and on reaching the area outside the west gate of Guangzhou each chose a place to settle.^[1] Chen Risheng (陈日生), one of the editors of Origins of Taishan's Surnames, points out in his essay “From Origins of Taishan's Surnames to Zhuji Lane in Nanxiong” (《从〈台山姓氏源流〉说到南雄珠玑巷》) that according to the History of Song (《宋史》), Consort Hu left the palace in the 8th year of Xianchun of Emperor Duzong of Song (1272), so this cannot have been the cause of a migration in the Kaixi period, and that the genealogies have mixed up migrations of different eras.^[3] Also, the genealogy says Guangchuan died loyally at his post “because of a matter with Wen Tianxiang” (因与文天祥一事)^[2]; Wen Tianxiang lived at the end of the Southern Song, and the book does not explain how this fits with his great-grandsons' generation migrating south in the 1st year of Kaixi; the line of descent is yet to be verified.

The Zhaoxiong line

Liu Zhaoxiong settled at Li'ao, Xinning (now part of Dajiang Town), and is regarded as the beginning of the Liu surname in Taishan. Besides Li'ao, his descendants also live in branches at Baihutou (白虎头), Baishi (白石), Wushi (五十), Chonglou, Guanghai, Doushan (斗山), Kengkou (坑口) and other places. The generation names (班派) they use are “大 (Da) 明 (Ming) 泰 (Tai) 会 (Hui) 遇 (Yu) 中 (Zhong) 天 (Tian), 重 (Zhong) 道 (Dao) 崇 (Chong) 儒 (Ru) 显 (Xian) 尊 (Zun) 贤 (Xian). 有 (You) 日 (Ri) 克 (Ke) 其 (Qi) 汉 (Han) 业 (Ye) 振 (Zhen), 富 (Fu) 贵 (Gui) 荣 (Rong) 华 (Hua) 世 (Shi) 相 (Xiang) 传 (Chuan).”^[2]

The Liu Jun line

Liu Jun took his son Liu Zheng (刘政) and his grandsons Liu Fu (刘富) and Liu Gui (刘贵) downstream on a raft to Guanqiao Village (官桥村), Hengtou, Wenzhang du (文章都), Xinhui, and settled there. Liu Gui married a woman of the Wu (伍) family and had four sons: Shizu (世祖), Shixing (世兴), Shirong (世荣) and Shihua (世华).^[2]

• Shihua moved to Hengshui bao (横水堡), Wenzhang du, Xinning (now part of Shuibu Town), and settled there; his descendants live in branches at Langshankuang (蓢山圹) and Daling (大岭) in Chonglou, Kengkou in Shuibu, Henghu (横湖) in Fucheng, Nichong (坭冲) and Liangdun (两墩) in Duhu (都斛), and all over Guanghai. Their generation names, “宗 (Zong) 本 (Ben) 汉 (Han) 朝 (Chao) 裔 (Yi), 万 (Wan) 祀 (Si) 仰 (Yang) 先 (Xian) 公 (Gong), 学 (Xue) 维 (Wei) 希 (Xi) 孔 (Kong) 孟 (Meng), 道 (Dao) 德 (De) 永 (Yong) 嘉 (Jia) 崇 (Chong)”, are said to have been composed by Chen Baisha (陈白沙) and are called the “Baisha Volume” (白沙卷); later Wanshao (万勺), who had served as director of education (教谕) of Qiongshan County (琼山县), composed a continuation, “景 (Jing) 运 (Yun) 中 (Zhong) 兴 (Xing) 启 (Qi), 贞 (Zhen) 元 (Yuan) 际 (Ji) 会 (Hui) 逢 (Feng), 明 (Ming) 良 (Liang) 相 (Xiang) 定 (Ding) 国 (Guo), 建 (Jian) 业 (Ye) 兆 (Zhao) 昌 (Chang) 隆 (Long)”, used in common by the descendants in Hengtou, Hengshui and Shachong (沙涌).^[2]
• Shixing's descendants moved from Hengtou to Langsankuang (蓢伞圹) in Chonglou and Kengkou in Shuibu, and also live scattered in Henghu, Guanghai, Shalan (沙栏), Shenjing (深井) and other places.^[2]
• In Shizu's branch, his 4th-generation descendant Wenxian (文显) moved from Lingbei (岭背) to Duanfen (端芬), and his 9th-generation descendant Mingyuan (明远) moved to Duhu; his 14th-generation descendants Chuanxue (传学) and Chuanmao (传茂) moved in the Kangxi reign of the Qing from Lingbei to Yueming Village (月明村), Guanghai, and branches later went off from there to Dongnanli (东南里), Ruishili (瑞狮里) and Guanghaichang (广海厂) in Haiyan (海宴).^[2]

The Dongshan line

The line at Dongshan Village, Guanghai, together with Chongpang Village (冲旁村) and Nankuang Village (南圹村), which branched off from it, descends according to the Dongshan genealogy from Guangchuan's fifth son Juhai (巨海) (another account says it descends from Liu Jun's grandson Liu Fu; the book says this “very much awaits research”). Juhai's great-great-grandson Liu Wensong (刘文耸) fled south to Xinhui at the end of the Southern Song to escape the Yuan armies; uprooted, he was taken in and raised to adulthood by a family surnamed Zou (邹), and so the clan has a saying, “The Liu must not be lost; the Zou must not be forgotten.” Wensong's 9th-generation descendant Xingshan (性善) moved to Dongshan, Guanghai. The generation names are “孝 (Xiao) 友 (You) 成 (Cheng) 先 (Xian) 德 (De), 敬 (Jing) 勤 (Qin) 佑 (You) 子 (Zi) 孙 (Sun). 文 (Wen) 章 (Zhang) 居 (Ju) 上 (Shang) 国 (Guo), 纲 (Gang) 纪 (Ji) 正 (Zheng) 常 (Chang) 伦 (Lun).”^[2]

In addition, another line of Liu in Taishan uses “孔 (Kong) 怀 (Huai) 彦 (Yan) 德 (De), 弘 (Hong) 道 (Dao) 良 (Liang) 家 (Jia), 世 (Shi) 传 (Chuan) 忠 (Zhong) 厚 (Hou), 克 (Ke) 昌 (Chang) 荣 (Rong) 华 (Hua)” as its generation names; its origin is unknown.^[2]

Distribution[edit]

According to Origins of Taishan's Surnames (Volume 1, late 1990s), the main Liu villages in Taishan are at Li'ao in Dajiang; Hengshui and Kengkou in Shuibu; Henghu and Baihutou in Fucheng; Langsantang (蓢伞塘) and Daling in Chonglou; Dongshan and Yueming in Guanghai; and elsewhere, and many other branches live mixed with other surnames. A good number of Taishan Liu live overseas and take part in the local Longgang (龙冈) clan associations formed by the four surnames Liu, Guan (关), Zhang (张) and Zhao (赵) (the book says there are more than 140 around the world).^[1][2]

People[edit]

• Liu Zaifu (刘栽甫): in the 13th year of the Republic (1924) became the first popularly elected county magistrate of Taishan County; while in office he asked the authorities of the Five Counties (五邑) to send troops to wipe out the bandit gang of Chen Zhusan (陈祝三).^[2]
• Liu Yaohuan (刘耀寰): a Kuomintang general who took part in wiping out Chen Zhusan's bandit gang and in the War of Resistance against Japan.^[2]
• Liu Weichi (刘维炽): the book calls him a member of the Central Committee. During the War of Resistance against Japan, when Taishan suffered a severe famine, overseas Chinese cabled the government in Chongqing asking that he come home to direct the relief.^[2]
• Liu Jinzuan (刘金钻): a horticulturist in the United States; in 1911 he was awarded the “Ta'er Huaide” (他尔怀德) silver medal by the American Pomological Society (美国果树栽培学会), and his bust was displayed at the world's fairs in Chicago and New York.^[2]