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

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

, accounting for 0.26% of the

Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...

population. It is the 52nd most common Chinese surname and is the 141st surname listed in the

Hundred Family Surnames The ''Hundred Family Surnames'' (), commonly known as ''Bai Jia Xing'', also translated as ''Hundreds of Chinese Surnames'', is a classic Chinese language , Chinese text composed of common Chinese surnames. An unknown author compiled the book ...

poem, contained in the line 江童顏郭 ( Jiāng, Tóng, Yán, Guō). It is the 75th most common surname in China (2007), and the 25th most common surname in Taiwan (2010).

Origins

After Boyi helped Yu the Great bring

flood control Flood management or flood control are methods used to reduce or prevent the detrimental effects of flood waters. Flooding can be caused by a mix of both natural processes, such as extreme weather upstream, and human changes to waterbodies and ru ...

to near yellow river, Yu's son and successor Qi of Xia offered Boyi's son, Xuanzhong, the position of Lord of Jiangdi ( - modern Jiangling County 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 that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...

and Western Zhou dynasty, with its capital city near today's Zhengyang County,

Henan Province Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Luo ...

. During the

Spring and Autumn period The Spring and Autumn period () was a period in History of China, Chinese history corresponding roughly to the first half of the Eastern Zhou (256 BCE), characterized by the gradual erosion of royal power as local lords nominally subject t ...

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

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

, 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, formerly romanized as the Hwai, is a major river in East China, about long with a drainage area of . It is located about midway between the Yellow River and Yangtze River, 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 Jiang Qing (March 191414 May 1991), also known as Madame Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary, actress, and political figure. She was the fourth wife of Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, Chairman of the Communis ...

(江青; 1914–1991), also known as Madame Mao, Chinese communist revolutionary, actress, and major political figure * Johnny Chiang (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, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as Chairman of the Central Mil ...

(江泽民), former

General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party The general secretary of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party ( zh, s=中国共产党中央委员会总书记, p=Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng Zhōngyāng Wěiyuánhuì Zǒngshūjì) is the leader of the Chinese Communist Part ...

* March Kong Fong Eu (江月桂), first

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans with ancestry from the continent of Asia (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those immigrants). Although this term had historically been used fo ...

woman elected to state constitutional office in US * John Chiang, Californian politician * Jiang Kanghu, Chinese politician and activist * Jiang Hongjie, Chinese politician and activist * Jody Chiang (江蕙), Taiwanese pop singer * Jiang Yu Chen (江語晨), Taiwanese pop singer * Maggie Chiang (江美琪), Taiwanese pop singer * Jiang Zhujiu, Chinese Go player * Jiang Dihua, mathematician * Jiang Heping, CCTV executive * Jiang Hong, Chinese footballer * Jiang Wen-Ye, Taiwanese composer * Mingjiu Jiang, Chinese professional Go player * Jiang Chaozong, Chinese general and Premier of the Republic of China * Jiang Yan (poet), Southern Dynasty poet * Empress Jiang, Liu Song dynasty empress * Jiang Qian, Chinese intellectual * Jiang Ge, murder victim *

Chiang Pin-kung Chiang Pin-kung (; 16 December 1932 – 10 December 2018) was a Taiwanese economist and politician. He led the Ministry of Economic Affairs from 1993 to 1996, when he was named Minister of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, wher ...

, Chairperson of Straits Exchange Foundation (2008–2012) * Jiang Yuyuan, Chinese gymnast * Chiang Sheng, Taiwanese martial arts actor * Jiang Zhujiu, 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 * Chiang Ching (江青; 1946–), a Chinese-American dancer and film actress

References

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