The 林 surname

Lin (林) is one of the surnames of Taishan. Among the surviving genealogies of the Taishan Lin, the line of Daling (大岭), Shuibu (水步), honors Lin Qi (林杞) of the Song as its founding ancestor and Lin Mengliang (林梦良) as its first migrant ancestor, while the line of Chiling Village (赤岭村), Gangbei Township (冈背乡), takes Lin Puweng (林朴翁) of the Ming as the founder of its settlement.^[1][2] Little material has been found so far on how the Lin came to Taishan and where they live.

Origin of the surname[edit]

The traditional account holds that the Lin surname comes from the Zi (子) surname, with Bigan (比干), a member of the Shang royal house, as its great founding ancestor: after Bigan was killed by King Zhou of Shang (纣王), his wife gave birth to his posthumous son in a stone chamber in Changlin (长林); King Wu of Zhou named the boy Lin Jian (林坚), and his descendants took Lin as their clan name. Another account holds that the Lin come from the Ji (姬) surname and descend from Lin Kai (林开), a son of King Ping of Zhou by a concubine; some Lin also changed to it from surnames of the northern peoples (such as Qiulin (丘林氏)).^[3] In the Wikipedia article, the Bigan account is marked “citation needed”.

Coming to Taishan[edit]

The General Catalog of Chinese Genealogies (《中国家谱总目》) lists a Qing manuscript copy of a Lin Family Genealogy (《林氏族谱》), later given another title, Genealogy of Daling Brigade, Shuibu Commune (《水步公社大岭大队族谱》), the original of which is kept in the Taishan Municipal Archives. This genealogy records that the founding ancestor, Lin Qi (courtesy name Liangcai (良材)), was a descendant of Lin Wei (林苇) of the Tang and lived in the Song; the first migrant ancestor, Lin Mengliang, also lived in the Song.^[1] In 2024 the Taishan Overseas Chinese History and Culture Association found a Genealogy of the Lin of Daling, Shuibu (《水步大岭林氏族谱》), revised in the 33rd year of Guangxu of the Qing (1907), and on that basis confirmed that the ancestral home of the music educator Lin Yaoji (林耀基) is Dongsheng Village (东升村), Daling, Shuibu Town.^[4]

Also, according to a list of Taishan genealogies circulating online, there is a 1954 Genealogy of the Lin Ancestors (《林氏祖先族谱》), which records the ancestral home as Chiling Village, Gangbei Township, Taishan, and takes Lin Baiye (林柏叶) as founding ancestor; in the 7th generation the Longmen (龙门), Chiling, Xianjing (仙境) and other branches divided, and the founder of the Chiling branch's settlement was Lin Puweng of the 7th generation, in the Ming (taboo name Fuchun (妇春), courtesy name Baisong (百松)).^[2]

How the other branches of the Lin came to Taishan and where they live is yet to be added. Family members who know more are welcome to edit this article.

People[edit]

• Lin Yaoji (born in Guangzhou in 1937), violin educator, formerly a professor at the Central Conservatory of Music; his ancestral home is Dongsheng Village, Daling, Shuibu Town. His great-grandfather Lin Dejian (林德鉴) emigrated to the United States in the 19th century, and his father Lin Quanbin (林权彬) was born in Taishan.^[4]