The 谭 surname

Tan (谭) is one of the major surnames of Taishan. Its families live mainly around Baishui (白水), Hebei (河北) and Yuanshan (圆山) in the north of Taicheng (台城), and in Haiyan Town (海宴镇). According to the family genealogies, most of the Tan of Taishan take as their first ancestor in Guangdong Tan Qian (谭虔), who moved from Qianzhou (虔州) in Jiangxi to Zhuji Lane (珠玑巷) in Nanxiong (南雄) early in the Northern Song; his descendants came to Xinning (新宁; today's Taishan) in several waves, by way of Xinhui (新会), Kaiping (开平) and other places.^[1][2]

Origin of the surname[edit]

The Tan surname is generally held to come from the pre-Qin state of Tan (谭国), in the area of today's Zhangqiu (章丘), Jinan (济南), Shandong. Before he took the throne, Duke Huan of Qi (齐桓公) passed through Tan while in exile and was not received with courtesy; after he took the throne, Tan again sent no envoy to congratulate him. So in 684 BCE (another account says 683 BCE) Duke Huan sent troops and destroyed Tan; the ruler of Tan fled to the state of Ju (莒国), and his descendants took the name of their state as their surname. As to the clan of the rulers of Tan, the Tan chapter of Origins of Taishan's Surnames (《台山姓氏源流》) says they were of the Ji (姬) surname, while Wikipedia lists them as of the Si (姒) surname. Besides these, the Tan of the ancient Ba'nan (巴南) region, and people of the Tan (谈) surname who changed their surname to avoid a taboo, are also sources of the Tan surname.^[1][3]

Into Guangdong and to Taishan[edit]

According to the genealogy quoted in the Tan chapter, in the Tang dynasty Tan Shiji (谭世绩) moved from Xiangtan (湘潭) in Hunan to Qianzhou in Jiangxi. In the Qiande period of the Northern Song, Tan Qian (courtesy name Chongji 崇纪, art name Hongyi 宏轶) moved with his wife from Qianzhou to Zhuji Lane in Nanxiong, becoming the first ancestor of the Tan in Guangdong; he had two sons, Hong (洪) and Han (瀚). Tan Qian's ancestral hall once stood in Jiucang Lane (旧仓巷; today's Yuehua Road, 越华路) in Guangzhou; in the Qianlong period of the Qing it was rebuilt as the Hongyi Study (宏轶书舍) and given the hall name Guangyu Tang (光裕堂), and it was destroyed in an air raid during the War of Resistance against Japan. The ancestral hall of his second son, Tan Han, the Siyuan Tang (思源堂), was built at Longcangli (龙藏里) in Taicheng.^[1]

The genealogy further records that at the end of the Song, Tan Chao'an (谭朝安) of the 4th generation fled the turmoil southward and, after moving from place to place, settled in Guangzhou. He had three sons, Da (达), Yuan (远) and Kui (逵): Tan Da moved to Longkuang (龙圹) in Kaiping and later on to Baishui in Taishan; Tan Yuan moved to Bailongchi (白龙池) in Xinhui and later, by way of Duanfen (端芬) in Taishan, to Xiaodan (小担) in Haiyan; Tan Kui moved to Yashao (雅韶) in Yangjiang (阳江). In this way Chao'an's line spread across the Four Counties (四邑) and the Two Yangs (两阳).^[1] In an article in Xinning Magazine (《新宁杂志》), Huang Renfu (黄仁夫) cites the list in the Taishan County Gazetteer of Local Lore (《台山县乡土志》) of the surnames that came to Taishan from Zhuji Lane, among them "the Tan of Haiyan" and "the Tan of Jiucang Lane".^[4]

The Haochong branch of Dajiang

The Tan chapter also records that Tan Muling (谭慕凌) of the 6th generation, the ancestor of the Tan of the Four Counties, first lived in Xinhui. His 7th-generation descendant Tan Zizheng (谭子政) moved from Dongmen (东门) in Xinhui to Yandong Village (炎洞村); Zizheng's eldest son, Tan Maoyi (谭茂义), moved with his three sons Deguan (德官), Dexiu (德秀) and Debao (德宝) to the market town of Haochongxu (濠冲墟) within Xinning County, and the chapter calls Maoyi the first ancestor to settle in Taishan. Their descendants built the ancestral hall of the great ancestor Zizheng (子政太祖祠) on Cangying Road (仓盈路; today's Jiankang Road, 健康路) in Taicheng, the ancestral hall of Maoyi (茂义祖祠) at Haochong bao (濠冲堡) in Dajiang (大江), the ancestral hall of Deguan (德官祖祠) in Youyu Village (游鱼村), Baishui, and the ancestral hall of Yuanshi (元实祖祠) in Cangqian Village (仓前村), Baishui.^[1]

The Taicheng branch

The Tan of Taicheng take Tan Tianlin (谭天麟) as their founding ancestor. According to a report published in 2015 on the website of the Taicheng Subdistrict Office, Tianlin came to Taicheng more than six hundred years ago and settled around what is now the Hebei village committee; his descendants have lived for generations at Hebei, Baishui, Yuanshan and other places on both banks of the Taicheng River (台城河) in the north of the town.^[5] The Tan chapter records that Tianlin had four sons, Derui (德瑞), Dechang (德常), Dechao (德超) and Deqiong (德琼): Derui's descendants live apart at Beizha (北闸), Shukeng (书坑), Yueshan (月山), Yuankeng (圆坑), Lian'anli (联安里) and other places, and set up their ancestral hall in Shukeng Village; Dechang's descendants live mostly at Xincunju in Hebei Township (河北乡新村咀), Da'an (大安), Ren'an (仁安), Chang'an (常安), Baishuijiu Village (白水旧村), Youyu and other villages; Dechao (Mujing, 慕景) moved from Pohou Village (坡厚村) to Jinkengchangxing Village (筋坑常兴村).^[1]

Descendants built the Tianlin Tan Gong Ancestral Hall (天麟谭公祠) at Longcangli in Taicheng (today's Huancheng West Road, 环城西路). Before 1949 the hall served as classrooms for the primary section of the Yuying School (育英学校); in 1952 it was pulled down and rebuilt as the Taishan County Exhibition Hall, and in 1990 a teaching building of Yuying Middle School (育英中学) was built on the site. The generation names below Tianlin given in the Tan chapter are: "尔 (Er) 昌 (Chang) 友 (You) 延 (Yan) 嗣 (Si), 捷 (Jie) 开 (Kai) 文 (Wen) 裔 (Yi) 光 (Guang), 宗 (Zong) 传 (Chuan) 世 (Shi) 泽 (Ze) 远 (Yuan); 晋 (Jin) 本 (Ben) 立 (Li) 道 (Dao) 隆 (Long), 积 (Ji) 善 (Shan) 家 (Jia) 国 (Guo) 重 (Zhong), 学 (Xue) 业 (Ye) 广 (Guang) 成 (Cheng) 芳 (Fang)."^[1]

Many Tan villages survive around Yuanshan in the west of the town. According to the report above, the Tan founded Chaosheng Village (潮盛村) at Yuanshan in the 17th year of Guangxu of the Qing (1891); from the 4th year of the Republic (1915) it was enlarged to a single plan, forming the three villages of Chaosheng, Chaoyang (潮阳) and Chao'an (潮安) and the Yuanshan market town (圆山圩), and more than 180 grey-brick houses still stand. The Yougong Tan Gong Ancestral Hall (友恭谭公祠) beside the villages was built in the 16th year of the Republic (1927) and later housed the Changfan School (昌蕃学校).^[5][1]

The Haiyan branch

The Tan of Haiyan take Tan Yuan (art name Tingtian 廷田) as their founding ancestor. According to the Tan chapter, Tan Yuan moved from Duanfen to the old village of Xiaodan (小担旧村) in Haiyan, founded his line at Lijiaoyi Village (立交椅村), and grew rich in the coastal fishing and salt trade; the Tingtian Tan Gong Ancestral Hall (廷田谭公祠) was built in Xiaodan Village. His grandsons Wei Weng (伟翁) and Zhuo Weng (倬翁) lived on at Xiaodan and founded a new village on the sand ridge (沙仑) in front of the village, which is today's Xiaodan Village; Hou Weng (侯翁) moved to Xiaojihe Village (小芰荷村) early in the Ming and became the ancestor of the Tan of Xiaojihe. Kangcheng (康成) of the 13th generation moved to Shanyuan (山园) in Beitou Village (北头村), Dantang (丹堂), and became the ancestor of the Tan of Dantang; his descendants live apart in Beitou, Nantou (南头), Shabian (沙边) and other villages.^[1]

According to an incomplete count of 1990 quoted in that chapter, the Tan of Haiyan (including Shangchuan and Xiachuan islands, 上、下川岛) numbered 2,368 households and more than 9,600 people. Most are descendants of Tan Yuan; a few are descendants of the Da and Kui branches who came from Kaiping, Xinhui and Yangjiang. Most villages use the generation names of Xiaodan Village: "君 (Jun) 任 (Ren) 乾 (Qian) 纲 (Gang) 重 (Zhong), 臣 (Chen) 寅 (Yin) 坤 (Kun) 德 (De) 宏 (Hong); 时 (Shi) 清 (Qing) 世 (Shi) 道 (Dao) 泰 (Tai), 运 (Yun) 显 (Xian) 祚 (Zuo) 昌 (Chang) 隆 (Long)", continued with "传 (Chuan) 家 (Jia) 照 (Zhao) 礼 (Li) 义 (Yi), 华 (Hua) 国 (Guo) 焕 (Huan) 文 (Wen) 章 (Zhang); 裕 (Yu) 后 (Hou) 鸿 (Hong) 恩 (En) 普 (Pu), 治 (Zhi) 谋 (Mou) 燕 (Yan) 翼 (Yi) 长 (Chang)". The villages are as follows (all figures from about 1990):^[1]

• Xiaodan Village: descendants of the Wei and Zhuo branches and some descendants of Hou Weng; more than 300 households, more than 1,400 people.
• Qiyou Village (奇猷村): the direct line of Tan Yuan's eldest branch; more than 70 households, more than 300 people.
• Beitou Village: mostly descendants of the Kangcheng branch and the Niulan branch (牛栏房), and also the Zongsheng branch (宗盛房), who came from Xinhui; 300 households, more than 1,300 people.
• Nantou Village: descendants of the Kangcheng and Zongsheng branches; 200 households, more than 900 people.
• Xiaojihe Village: descendants of Hou Weng; 70 households, nearly 1,000 people.
• Lingchong Village (凌冲村): of Da Weng's line, who came from Lingchong in Xinhui; 250 households, 1,150 people.
• Lunding Village (仑定村): descendants of the three lines of Da, Kui and Yuan; nearly 100 households, 400 people; a Tan Gong Ancestral Hall (谭公祠) was built there.
• Nanyangli (南阳里; Niu'edun, 牛轭墩) and Xichangli (西昌里; Zhaizai, 寨仔): descendants of the Yan Weng branch (琰翁房) of Yuan Weng's line, who came from Changsha (长沙) in Kaiping; 136 households and 600 people each.
• Shabian Village, Shaqiao Village (沙桥村) and Haiyanjie (海宴街): more than 10, 36 and 14 households respectively.
• Shangchuan and Xiachuan islands: descendants of the Niulan branch of Yuan Weng's line, and descendants of Ancestor Gengyin (耕隐) of Da Weng's line, who founded his line at Chuandong Village (川东村) on Xiachuan; 400 households and more than 1,800 people in all; the Gengyin Study (耕隐书室) was built on Xiachuan.

Distribution[edit]

According to the 2015 report on the Taicheng Subdistrict Office website, by an incomplete count the Tan of Taishan number about 50,000, and the Tan overseas also number about 50,000, mainly in the United States, Canada, Hong Kong and Macao, and Southeast Asia.^[5]

Ancestral halls and overseas Chinese magazines[edit]

• Guangyu Monthly (《光裕月刊》): its forerunner was the Taishan Tan Clan Self-Government Magazine (《台山谭氏自治杂志》), founded in 1917; it was later renamed Taishan Guangyu Monthly (《台山光裕月刊》), ceased publication three times, resumed in 1982, and is mailed mainly overseas.^[5][1]
• Yuying Middle School: its forerunner was the Tan Clan School (谭氏学校), founded in 1907 at Longcangli in Taicheng; in 1935 it was enlarged and renamed the Private Tan Clan Yuying Junior Middle School (私立谭氏育英初级中学); it was closed from 1952 to 1984, reopened in 1984 and renamed Taishan Yuying Middle School (台山育英中学), and in 2006 moved to a new campus in Youyu Village, Baishui.^[5]
• Nanhua Daily (《南华日报》): founded in 1930 and closed in 1949; its president was Tan Weiting (谭蔚亭).^[5]
• Overseas associations: these include the Tan Family Association of San Francisco (三藩市谭家公所), the Taishan Tan Guangyu Hometown Association (台山谭氏光裕同乡会), the Zhaolun Association (昭伦公所), the Tan Baishui Association (谭氏白水公所), the Tan Guangyu Tang (谭光裕堂) and others.^[5]

People[edit]

• You Jin (尤今; original name Tan Youjin, 谭幼今; born 1950), a Singaporean writer whose ancestral home is Dalinghou Village (大岭厚村), Baishui, Taicheng; in 1991 she won Singapore's first "Singapore Chinese Literature Award" (新华文学奖).^[5]
• Tan Boyuan (谭伯源; born 1949), of Taishan ancestry, formerly Secretary for Economy and Finance of the Macao Special Administrative Region.^[5]
• Tan Haoqiang (谭浩强; born 1934), whose ancestral home is Baishui, Taicheng; a professor at Tsinghua University and an expert in computer education.^[5]