Duke Hu of Chen (; fl. 11th century BC) was the founding monarch of the

ancient Chinese state Ancient Chinese states () were typified by variously sized city-states and territories that existed in China prior to its unification by Qin Shi Huang in 221 BCE. In many cases these were vassal states and fiefs established in the '' fengjian'' s ...

of Chen (陳國), established in modern eastern

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

Province soon after his father-in-law,

King Wu of Zhou King Wu of Zhou () was the first king of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BC and ended three years later in 1043 BC. King Wu's ancestral name was ...

, founded the

Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ( ; Old Chinese ( B&S): *''tiw'') was a royal dynasty of China that followed the Shang dynasty. Having lasted 789 years, the Zhou dynasty was the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history. The military control of China by th ...

in 1046/45 BC. Chen is considered to be the founding ancestor of the surname Chen, one of the most common

Chinese surname Chinese surnames are used by Han Chinese and Sinicized ethnic groups in China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, and among overseas Chinese communities around the world such as Singapore and Malaysia. Written Chinese names begin with surnames, unlike the ...

s, as well as one of the founding ancestors of the surname Hu. The rulers of the Hồ (Hu) dynasty of

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

claimed to be Chen's descendants.

Names

He is also known as Hu Gong Man (胡公滿) and Gui Man (媯滿). Chen's given name was Man (滿), and his ''xing'' (姓) or surname was

Gui The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inste ...

(媯), which is the ancestor of the surname Chen (陈/陳). Hu (胡) was his

posthumous name A posthumous name is an honorary name given mostly to the notable dead in East Asian culture. It is predominantly practiced in East Asian countries such as China, Korea, Vietnam, Japan, and Thailand. Reflecting on the person's accomplishments or ...

Biography

Chen was said to be a descendant of the legendary sage king

Emperor Shun Emperor Shun () was a legendary leader of ancient China, regarded by some sources as one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors being the last of the Five Emperors. Tradition holds that he lived sometime between 2294 and 2184 BC. Tradition a ...

. His father Efu (閼父) served as ''taozheng'' (陶正), the official in charge of the manufacture of

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

, for the Zhou state.

thought highly of Efu, and gave his eldest daughter, Da Ji (大姬), to Efu's son Man in marriage. After King Wu conquered the

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty founded by Tang of Shang (Cheng Tang) that ruled in the Yellow River valley in the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and ...

to establish the

in 1046/45 BC, he

enfeoffed In the Middle Ages, especially under the European feudal system, feoffment or enfeoffment was the deed by which a person was given land in exchange for a pledge of service. This mechanism was later used to avoid restrictions on the passage of ti ...

the descendants of three ancient sage kings in the newly conquered land, known as the '' San Ke'' (三恪, "Three Reverent States"), and Man was enfeoffed at the state of Chen, with its capital at Wanqiu, in modern

Huaiyang County Huaiyang District () is a district in the prefecture-level city of Zhoukou in the east of Henan province, People's Republic of China. During the Spring and Autumn period the capital of the state of Chen was located there. The Chinese Ma clique G ...

Province. After Chen died, he was succeeded by his son Xihou (犀侯), posthumously known as

Duke Shēn of Chen Duke Shēn of Chen (; reigned 10th century BC) was the second ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Chen during the Western Zhou dynasty. His given name was Xihou (犀侯), and Shēn was his posthumous name. He succeeded his father Duke Hu of C ...

. After the death of Duke Shēn, a younger son of Chen, Gaoyang (皋羊), ascended the throne, to be known as

Duke Xiang of Chen Duke Xiang of Chen (; reigned 10th century BC), given name Gaoyang (皋羊), was the third ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Chen during the Western Zhou dynasty. Xiang was his posthumous name. His father Duke Hu of Chen, who married the elde ...

Family

Wife: Daji (大姬),

Zhou Wuwang King Wu of Zhou () was the first king of the Zhou dynasty of ancient China. The chronology of his reign is disputed but is generally thought to have begun around 1046 BC and ended three years later in 1043 BC. King Wu's ancestral name was ...

's eldest daughter Children * Chen Shengong (陳申公), older son, 2nd ruler of Chen *

Chen Xianggong Duke Xiang of Chen (; reigned 10th century BC), given name Gaoyang (皋羊), was the third ruler of the ancient Chinese state of Chen during the Western Zhou dynasty. Xiang was his posthumous name. His father Duke Hu of Chen, who married the elde ...

( 陳相公), younger son, 3rd ruler of Chen

Legacy

Chen is honoured as the founding ancestor of the Chen surname, which originated in the state of Chen. As of 2020, Chen is the 5th most common surname in China and 4th most common in the world, shared by 70 million people within the country and over 100 million people worldwide (in 2014, there were 54 million in China and 80 million worldwide). Some of Chen's descendants adopted his posthumous name Hu as their surname, and Chen is also considered one of the main ancestors of Hu, the 15th most common surname in China. Dozens of other surnames, including

Tian ''Tiān'' () is one of the oldest Chinese terms for heaven and a key concept in Chinese mythology, Chinese philosophy, philosophy, and Chinese folk religion, religion. During the Shang dynasty (17th―11th century BCE), the Chinese referred to ...

, Yuan, and Che, originated as branches of the Chen surname. The Chen clan would later found the Chen Dynasty of China and then the

Trần dynasty The Trần dynasty, (Vietnamese: Nhà Trần, chữ Nôm: 茹陳）also known as the House of Trần, was a Vietnamese dynasty that ruled over the Kingdom of Đại Việt from 1225 to 1400. The dynasty was founded when emperor Trần Thái T ...

, a golden age of

(陈朝 Tran is the Vietnamese pronunciation of Chen). In 1400 AD,

Hồ Quý Ly Hồ Quý Ly ( vi-hantu, 胡季犛, born 1336) ruled Đại Ngu (Vietnam) from 1400 to 1401 as the founding emperor of the short-lived Hồ dynasty. Quý Ly rose from a post as an official served the court of the ruling Trần dynasty and a milit ...

overthrew the

and established the

Hồ dynasty The Hồ dynasty (Vietnamese: , chữ Nôm: 茹胡； Sino-Vietnamese: ''Hồ triều, chữ Hán:'' 胡朝) was a short-lived Vietnamese dynasty consisting of the reigns of two monarchs, Hồ Quý Ly (胡季犛) in 1400–01 and his second so ...

(Hồ is the Vietnamese pronunciation for ''Hú'' 胡). He claimed to be a descendant of Chen Hugong and Emperor Shun, and changed the name of Vietnam from

Đại Việt Đại Việt (, ; literally Great Việt), often known as Annam ( vi, An Nam, Chữ Hán: 安南), was a monarchy in eastern Mainland Southeast Asia from the 10th century AD to the early 19th century, centered around the region of present-day ...

to Đại Ngu (大虞), or Great Ngu (Ngu is the Vietnamese pronunciation for ''Yú'' 虞 the legendary pre-enthronement fief of

Tomb

Chen's tomb was said to be made of iron and buried under water near the Dragon Lake in

. Archaeologists have found Western Zhou era pottery shards and

Warring States The Warring States period () was an era in ancient Chinese history characterized by warfare, as well as bureaucratic and military reforms and consolidation. It followed the Spring and Autumn period and concluded with the Qin wars of conquest ...

-era roof tiles in the area. In 1995, Singaporean businessman Chen Yonghe (陳永和) donated funds to build a new mausoleum and temple complex for Chen in Huaiyang, and it has become a popular pilgrimage site for people of Chen, Hu, and other surnames that originated in the state of Chen.

Memorial

A memorial of Chen Hugong (陈胡公纪念堂) has been built in

Fuzhou Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

References

Citations

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Che, Duke Hu of Monarchs of Chen (state) 11th-century BC Chinese monarchs Founding monarchs