Zheng Clan｜The Legacy of Xingyang: A Nanyang Powerhouse｜The Surname Archive·SoChina

Key Nanyang Chinese SurnameCentral Plains Origin

OriginsOrigin

Main lineage: From the Ji surname. King Xuan of Zhou enfeoffed his younger brother You at Zheng (in present-day Hua County, Shaanxi); after the state of Zheng fell, its descendants took the state as their surname.

A clan of many sources: Branches changed from ethnic-minority surnames.

Root point: Xingyang, Henan.

Migration RoutesMigration Routes

▸ Internal migration: Early on in the Central Plains; the Wei–Jin migration went south; the Tang and Song brought great numbers into Fujian, where the Zhengs of southern Fujian flourished; the Ming and Qing spread it into eastern Guangdong.

▸ Overseas branches: Zhengs of southern Fujian went to the Nanyang—an important surname among the region's early pioneers.

Cultural SymbolsCULTURAL SYMBOLS

CommanderyXingyang 荥阳

Hall NameXingyang Hall 荥阳堂

Family PreceptsHonor the ancestors and revere the clan; live by good faith and righteousness

Ancient NotablesZheng Xuan, Zheng He

Overseas Community Leaders[To be added]

Classic StoryThe Renown of Xingyang

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The mainstream hall name is Xingyang Hall, with Xingyang, Henan, as the ancestral landmark. Quanzhou and Zhangzhou in southern Fujian are the core emigrant homelands for the Nanyang, and the Xingyang Zheng association network in Southeast Asia is well developed.