The 邓 surname

Deng (邓) is one of the surnames of Taishan. According to the genealogy given in Origins of Taishan's Surnames (《台山姓氏源流》), the Deng of Guangdong honor Deng Tao (邓焘, courtesy name Jingyuan 经源) of the Southern Song as their founding ancestor; his grandson Deng Yingfu (邓英甫) moved in 1272 from Zhuji Lane (珠玑巷) in Nanxiong (南雄) to Gugang Prefecture (古冈州; today's Xinhui, 新会), and his descendants moved, from the early Ming on, into what are now Chonglou (冲蒌), Doushan (斗山) and other places in Taishan. According to the book, writing in the late 1990s, the Deng of Taishan numbered about 4,000, most concentrated in Chonglou Town.^[1][2]

Origin of the surname[edit]

The Deng surname is generally thought to come from the ancient state of Deng (邓国, around today's Dengzhou, Henan), a vassal state of the Man (曼) surname enfeoffed by the Shang king Wu Ding (武丁); in the Spring and Autumn period Deng was destroyed by Chu, and its descendants took the name of the state as their surname. Their ancestral commandery is Nanyang (南阳).^[3]

The genealogy of the Taishan Deng tells it somewhat differently: it says the Deng were originally of the Ji (姬) surname, and that after Deng was absorbed into Chu in the Spring and Autumn period, a son of King Wen of Chu (楚文王) was enfeoffed at Deng, and his descendants took the name of the state as their surname; it also honors Deng Yu (邓禹), Marquis of Gaomi under the Eastern Han, as a distant ancestor.^[2]

Coming to Taishan[edit]

Coming to Guangdong

The genealogy says Deng Tao (courtesy name Jingyuan) was a native of Nanyang, Henan, passed the military jinshi (palace graduate) examination, and is honored as the founding ancestor of the Deng of Guangdong. His son Deng Linqiao (邓林乔) became a jinshi in the 5th year of Jiading of the Southern Song (1212; the original book has 1213) and, having offended the emperor, was banished to Nanxiong. Linqiao's son Deng Yingfu (art name Daihu 带湖) was instructor of Nanhai County (南海县); in 1272 he moved from Zhuji Lane in Nanxiong to Gugang Prefecture, and he had nine sons, Ji Zu (玑祖), Rong Zu (荣祖), You Zu (宥祖), Chang Zu (昌祖), Lun Zu (仑祖), Sheng Zu (胜祖), Ke Zu (恪祖), Yan Zu (严祖) and Liang Zu (谅祖); the descendants of three of these branches moved into Taishan.^[2]

The Chenchong branch

Youqing (有庆), grandson of Ji Zu of the eldest branch, moved from Xinhui to Jingtou (迳头) in Kaiping (开平); his son Deng Wanrong (邓晚荣, born 1365) moved from Hulong (护龙) in Kaiping to Nichong (坭涌) in Chonglou, Taishan, and in the 18th year of Hongwu of the Ming (1385) moved again to Shanggechenchong Village (上阁陈冲村) in Doushan.^[2]

The Anrenli branch

The line of Lun Zu of the fifth branch passed down to the brothers Yanhong (彦宏) and Yanliang (彦良). Yanhong lived at Xiaohuang Village (小篁村) in Xinhui; his descendant Yongyi (永壹), the tenth-generation ancestor, also lived at Shanggechenchong Village in Doushan; Yanliang's descendants live at Anrenli (安仁里) in Chonglou.^[2]

The Baigangli branch

Junze (君泽, courtesy name Xiangxiang 祥乡), grandson of Liang Zu of the ninth branch, lived at Baishitou (白石头) in Kaiping and later moved to Baigangli (白岗里) in Chonglou.^[2]

Distribution[edit]

According to Origins of Taishan's Surnames (Volume 1, late 1990s), the Deng had been established in Taishan for more than 600 years and then numbered about 4,000, spread over more than 30 natural villages in 16 towns:^[2]

• Chonglou Town: more than 2,200 people, living at Anrenli, Renzhouli (仁洲里), Rengangli (稔岗里), Panzhouli (盘洲里), Beijiuli (北就里), Xinlongli (新龙里), Fuqingli (福庆里), Dongchengli (东成里), Chaoxili (潮溪里), Xinwuli (新屋里), Baigangli and Nanyuanli (南源里), of which Baigangli (545 people) and Anrenli (438 people) have the most.
• Doushan Town: 770 people, at Shanggechenchong Village, Xizha Village (西栅村) and Annan Village (安南村).
• Haiyan Town (海宴镇): about 400 people at Shipu Village (石浦村).
• Nafu Town (那扶镇): about 250 people at Chaoyang Village (朝阳村), Lantian administrative district (蓝田管区).
• Others are scattered in Taicheng (台城), Dajiang (大江), Sijiu (四九), Sanhe (三合), Duanfen (端芬), Guanghai (广海), Nanwan (南湾), Longwen (隆文), Chixi (赤溪), Tiantou (田头), Duhu (都斛) and other places.

People[edit]

• Deng Zhenyi (邓振翼), a scholar of Xinning County (新宁县) in the Qianlong period of the Qing. According to the Taishan County Gazetteer (《台山县志》), his family was poor when he was young, and he studied while herding cattle; at seventeen he placed first in the county examination and was called a Yao (瑶族) xiucai, rare in Guangdong. He served as director of education of Xinyi (信宜), and wrote Collected Meanings of the Five Classics (《五经辑义》) and Collected Meanings of the Four Books (《四书辑义》); his parallel-prose piece Preface to Dalongdong (《大隆洞序》), composed from the place names of his home area, is fairly widely known.^[2]