Jiang (, also romanized Chiang, Kong, Kang) is a

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 ...

, accounting for 0.26% of the

Han Chinese The Han Chinese () or Han people (), are an East Asian ethnic group native to China. They constitute the world's largest ethnic group, making up about 18% of the global population and consisting of various subgroups speaking distinctive va ...

population. It is the 52nd most common Chinese surname and is the 141st surname listed in the Hundred Family Surnames poem, contained in the line 江童顏郭 ( Jiāng, Tóng, Yán, Guō). It is the 74th most common surname in China (2007), and the 25th most common surname in Taiwan (2010).

Origins

After Boyi helped

Yu the Great Yu the Great (大禹) was a legendary king in ancient China who was famed for his introduction of flood control, his establishment of the Xia dynasty which inaugurated dynastic rule in China, and his upright moral character. He figures prominen ...

bring

flood control Flood control methods are used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters."Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008 (see below: Further reading). Flood relief methods are used to reduce the effects of flood waters or high water level ...

to near yellow river, Yu's son and successor

Qi of Xia Qi () was a Chinese king, the son of Yu the Great and the second sovereign of the Xia dynasty. He ruled for roughly nine to ten years.戴逸, 龔書鐸. 002(2003) 中國通史. 史前夏商西周. Intelligence press. . p. 40. Biography ...

offered Boyi's son, Xuanzhong, the position of Lord of Jiangdi ( - modern

Jiangling County Jiangling () is a county in southern Hubei province, People's Republic of China. Administratively, it is under the jurisdiction of Jingzhou City. History The county name derived from the old name of Jingzhou. Liang dynasty Prince Xiao Yi 蕭繹 ( ...

in Hubei Province). Boyi's descendants ruled the area as kings of an autonomous "River Kingdom" () during 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 ...

and

Western Zhou Dynasty The Western Zhou ( zh, c=, p=Xīzhōu; c. 1045 BC – 771 BC) was a royal dynasty of China and the first half of the Zhou dynasty. It began when King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang dynasty at the Battle of Muye and ended when the Quanrong nomad ...

, with its capital city near today's Zhengyang County, Henan Province. During the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period was a period in Chinese history from approximately 770 to 476 BC (or according to some authorities until 403 BC) which corresponds roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou period. The period's name derives fr ...

, the kingdom was often under attack from the neighboring states of

Chu Chu or CHU may refer to: Chinese history * Chu (state) (c. 1030 BC–223 BC), a state during the Zhou dynasty * Western Chu (206 BC–202 BC), a state founded and ruled by Xiang Yu * Chu Kingdom (Han dynasty) (201 BC–70 AD), a kingdom of the Ha ...

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

, and Qi, each of which was larger than the "River Kingdom". While defending from neighbors' attacks, the Jiang state also had to deal with the

Huai River The Huai River (), Postal Map Romanization, formerly romanization of Chinese, romanized as the Hwai, is a major river in China. It is located about midway between the Yellow River and Yangtze, the two longest rivers and largest drainage basins ...

's frequent flooding, which often inundated the kingdom's central areas. These difficulties prevented Jiang from developing significant economic or military power. It survived until 623 BC when it was destroyed by Chu. At the time of the kingdom's destruction, many of its surviving inhabitants fled to what is now Henan Province and took the kingdom's name, "Jiang", as their clan name (''shi'').

Notable people named 江

* Jiang Qing (江青; 1914–1991), also known as Madame Mao, Chinese communist revolutionary, actress, and major political figure *

Johnny Chiang Johnny Chiang Chi-chen (; born 2 March 1972) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the penultimate Director-General of the Government Information Office from 2010 to 2011, a post he resigned to become a member of the Legislative Yuan in which he ha ...

(江啓臣), Taiwanese politician, leader of Kuomintang *

Jiang Zemin Jiang Zemin (17 August 1926 – 30 November 2022) was a Chinese politician who served as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and as pres ...

(江泽民), former

General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party The general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party () is the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Since 1989, the CCP general secretary has been the paramount leader o ...

* March Kong Fong Eu (江月桂), first

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

woman elected to state constitutional office in US * John Chiang, Californian politician *

Jiang Kanghu Jiang Kanghu (; Hepburn: ''Kō Kōko''), who preferred to be known in English as Kiang Kang-hu, (July 18, 1883 – December 7, 1954), was a politician and activist in the Republic of China. His former name was "Shaoquan" () and he also wro ...

, Chinese politician and activist * Jiang Hongjie, Chinese politician and activist *

Jody Chiang Jody Chiang or Jiang Hui (), born Jiang Shuhui (), is a Taiwanese popular singer. She began recording in the 1980s and retired in 2015, having released 60 albums. Her trademark ballads and folk songs are typically sung in Taiwanese. Her role ...

(江蕙), Taiwanese pop singer * Jiang Yu Chen (江語晨), Taiwanese pop singer * Maggie Chiang (江美琪), Taiwanese pop singer *

Jiang Zhujiu Jiang Zhujiu (; born February 17, 1962 in Taiyuan) is a Chinese professional Go player. Biography Jiang began playing Go when he was 6. In 1982, he was 5 dan, and 1987 he was promoted to 7 dan. Earlier in his career, he competed in some of ...

, Chinese Go player * Jiang Dihua, mathematician *

Jiang Heping Senior Editor Jiang Heping () is a prominent executive at China Central Television (CCTV), the state broadcaster of the People's Republic of China. He is responsible for sport coverage in his roles as Executive Director of the CCTV Sports Program ...

, CCTV executive * Jiang Hong, Chinese footballer *

Jiang Wen-Ye Chiang Wen-yeh or Jiang Wenye (, June 11, 1910 – October 24, 1983) was a Taiwanese composer, active mainly in Japan and later in China. While often known in the West by renditions of his Chinese name, the three Chinese characters that form his ...

, Taiwanese composer *

Mingjiu Jiang Mingjiu Jiang (, born July 15, 1957, in Shandong, China) is a Chinese professional Go player and the elder brother of Jiang Zhujiu. Biography Jiang became 6 dan in 1982 and 7 dan in 1987. He has played for the Zhongguo Qiyuan, but curren ...

, Chinese professional Go player *

Jiang Chaozong Jiang Chaozong (; Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ''Kō Kōketsu''; 1861–1943) was a general in the late Empire of China (1915–1916), Empire of China and an acting Premier of the Republic of China in 1917. Biography A native of Xuancheng, A ...

, Chinese general and Premier of the Republic of China * Jiang Yan (poet), Southern Dynasty poet *

Empress Jiang Jiang Jiangui (江簡珪) was an empress of the Chinese Liu Song dynasty. Her husband was Emperor Houfei of Liu Song (Liu Yu). Very little is known about her. Jiang Jiangui came from a noble lineage, as her grandfather Jiang Zhiyuan (江智淵) ...

, Liu Song dynasty empress *

Jiang Qian Jiang Qian (; 1876–1942), courtesy name Yiyuan (), art name Yangfu (), was an influential Chinese scholar and educator. Biography In his early years, Jiang studied at the Ziyang Academy in Huizhou, Anhui, and Wenzheng Academy in Nanjing. In ...

, Chinese intellectual * Chiang Pin-kung, Chairperson of Straits Exchange Foundation (2008–2012) * Jiang Yuyuan, Chinese gymnast *

Chiang Sheng Chiang Sheng was a martial arts actor, one of the ''Venom Mob'', renowned for their acrobatic and martial arts skills. He joined the ''Chang Cheh's Cohorts'' as an actor, and also worked with Chang Cheh as an assistant director and choreographer. ...

, Taiwanese martial arts actor *

, Chinese Go player * Leslie Kong, Chinese Jamaican record producer * Wah Kau Kong (1919–1944), Chinese-American fighter pilot * Kong Duen-Yee (江端仪, 1923–1966), Hong Kong actor * Cecilia Chiang (Chiang Sun Yun) (江孫芸; 1920–2020), a Chinese-American restaurateur and chef, best known for founding and managing the Mandarin Restaurant in San Francisco, California. * Philip Chiang, son of Cecilia Chiang, co-founder of P. F. Chang's China Bistro Chopin Kiang, Nevada Dept. of Education First Cultural Diversity And First Asian American State Administrator.

References

{{100 Most Common Family Names in Mainland China Chinese-language surnames Individual Chinese surnames