Taishan surnames

The 钟 surname

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Translated from the Chinese article, which is the one that is edited (read it in Chinese).

Zhong (钟) is one of the major Hakka surnames (the simplified character 钟 stands for two different surnames, 鍾 and 鐘; here it means the surname 鍾, whose standard simplified form is 锺).[1] In Taishan, the Zhong surname is found in the Hakka villages around Tiantou (田头) in Chixi Town (赤溪镇); according to the local village records, their ancestors came one after another from various parts of Xinning County (新宁县), after the Zeng (曾), Wu (吴) and other surnames.[2][3]

Origin of the surname[edit]

The Zhong (锺, 鍾) surname shares its origin with the two-character surname Zhongli (钟离). One account says it comes from the Zi (子) surname, from the descendants of Weizi of Song (宋微子): because their forebears held Zhongli (钟离; around today's Linhuaiguan (临淮关), Anhui) as their fief, their descendants took the name of the town as their clan name. Another account says it comes from the Mi (芈) surname: Zhong Jian (钟建), of the ducal house of Chu, was enfeoffed at Zhongwu (钟吾), and later generations shortened the name to Zhong (锺). The She (畲) people also have the surname Zhong. Its ancestral commanderies are Yingchuan (颍川) and Jingling (竟陵), and its hall names include Yingchuan and Side (四德). Today the Zhong surname is most numerous in Guangdong.[1]

Coming to Taishan[edit]

According to the village records on the website of the Chixi Town Government, Taishan, the long-settled surnames of Daxiang Village (大巷村) in Tiantou Village, Chixi, are Zeng, Li (李) and Luo (罗); in the Ming, the ancestors of the Zeng moved from Fujian to Xinning County, and after them the ancestors of the Li, Luo, Zhong and other surnames also came one after another from various parts of Xinning County; the village has a Zhong family ancestral hall (钟家祠).[2] In nearby Dingfeng Village (定丰村), the long-settled surnames are Wu, Luo and Zhong, and the Zhong ancestors likewise came from various parts of Xinning County to settle there after the Wu. The villagers of both villages are Hakka and speak Hakka.[2][3]

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

Ancestral halls and overseas Chinese magazines[edit]

  • Zhong family ancestral hall, in Daxiang Village, Tiantou Village Committee, Chixi Town.[2]

References

  1. "Zhong (surname, 鍾)", Chinese Wikipedia 「鍾姓」，维基百科
  2. Written by Zhu Yiguang, chief compiler Zhong Riping, "Natural Villages of Chixi Town - Daxiang Village, Tiantou Village", website of the Chixi Town Government, Taishan, 2025 朱奕光撰稿、钟日平总纂：「赤溪镇自然村落情况-田头村大巷村」，台山市赤溪镇人民政府网站，2025年
  3. Written by Zhu Yiguang, chief compiler Zhong Riping, "Natural Villages of Chixi Town - Dingfeng Village, Tiantou Village", website of the Chixi Town Government, Taishan, 2026 朱奕光撰稿、钟日平总纂：「赤溪镇自然村落情况-田头村定丰村」，台山市赤溪镇人民政府网站，2026年

Last edited 2026-10-19 08:38 · Written together by this site’s users: anybody signed in can edit it, and every version is kept under History.