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Zhangs leave mark on history, culture
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TO distinguish it from another Chinese surname with the same pronunciation, the surname Zhang is more often described as “Li Zao Zhang,” which indicates its character composition.
This name is also associated with quite a number of big talents in Chinese history.
It is estimated that there are about 1.5 million people surnamed Zhang in China. The number of “Li Zao Zhangs” account for about 0.12 percent of the Chinese population.
There was a Zhang Kingdom in both Western Zhou Dynasties (11th century-771 BC), and Jiang Shang, the legendary military counselor, used its name for his offsprings.
The family of Ren is one of the 12 surnames given by the legendary Yellow Emperor in the distant past. The Emperor granted his youngest son the land of Ren, and thus shaped the Ren family, which later branched into another 10 families, including Zhang.
There were also ethnic minorities who changed their surnames to Zhang through interactions with the Han.
The Zhang family originated in Shandong Province, and gradually spread to Shaanxi, Jiangsu and Jiangxi provinces and Mongolian regions during the Han Dynasty. They were present in most Chinese territories by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Famous names in the family include Zhang Han, a general who successfully suppressed a number of uprisings in the late Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC); Zhang Heng, a high official known for his great administrative expertise and prominent military strategies during the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 960-1127); and Zhang Binglin, more often known as Zhang Taiyan, a great scholar, thinker and revolutionary during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The scholar was also an advocate for classic literature and writing at a time when many of his peers were pressing for greater respect for the vernacular Chinese language.
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