In writing about the Li family and Chinese secret societies, I am like the man who wakes up in the middle of the night while everyone else sleeps and then gropes around in the darkness trying to feel his way. I can share with you what I’ve learnt, but undoubtedly there is a great deal more that can be learnt.
When the year started, I knew only a little about the Li family, and that only from what I had heard. I didn’t even know how to spell their name right. I was spelling it Lee (actually the Li family name is spelt Lee in some areas, such as Hokkien, Teochew, and Singapore, and by some Chinese Americans). Because I knew so little about the family, it was one of my primary areas of focus when doing the research.
Understanding how Chinese names are joined: A Chinese name is made up of a family name (surname), which is written first, and then comes the personal name. In the Chinese way of things, my name would be Springmeier Fritz. Family names are usually of one character each, although there are exceptions like Ouyong and Situ. There are over 6,000 Chinese surnames for about 1 billion Chinese. The more frequent Chinese surnames in English-speaking countries such as the U.S., U.K. and Australia are Chan, Lin, Li, Wong, Huang, Mei, Yang, Chin, and Fong. In mainland China, the five top families are Chen, Li, Zhang, He, and Huang.
Family names are more meaningful for Chinese (in China) than for Americans: The Chinese surname Li is a very popular name in China, perhaps not as widespread as Smith in America, but certainly used as much as the name Brown is in America. Chinese who have the same surname have much more loyalty to someone else who has the same surname. For instance, two Chinese with the Li name would consider themselves relatives even if they were total strangers. Even if two people knew no blood ties, if they had the same surname, it has generally been considered incestuous to marry each other in China. In the U.S., if two Browns without any apparent blood ties met each other, they would not feel as if they were close relatives, which two Chinese with the same surname would.
The Li surname has a long history which goes back to a specific person named Emperor Zhuanzu, who was the first Li and lived before 20000 B.C. This is according to the Xing Zuan, the Chinese dictionary of surnames.
The Li family has a long history in China with many stories. During the Tang Dynasty about 15 different surnames were given the honour of having the Li surname. Li Yuan was the founder of the Tang Dynasty,, which lasted from 618 to 906 A.D. His son, who ruled after him, was Li Shimin. In their dynasty, printing and paper money were introduced to China. (It’s interesting that the Li’s are connected to the introduction of paper money.)
*This series, as the previous series of the ruling families is taken from the book of Fritz Springmeier.
Note from this site: The Kaifeng Jews, a tiny Jewish group in Henan province that may have originated with the arrival of Jewish traders in the ninth century, have taken on seven Chinese surnames, including Li. Due to their ancestry in the Levy (Levi) family, many Lis were rabbis. The Levi family held the priestly responsibility of supervising sacrificial offerings, according to Old Testament custom. This should already speak volumes, dear readers.
©Marica Micallef. All rights reserved. This website and its contents are the property of Marica Micallef and protected under Cap 415. Reproduction, distribution of any part of this copyrighted content or taking ideas or taking up an article without citing this site without permission is prohibited.
The 13 Ruling Families: The Li Family (1)
In writing about the Li family and Chinese secret societies, I am like the man who wakes up in the middle of the night while everyone else sleeps and then gropes around in the darkness trying to feel his way. I can share with you what I’ve learnt, but undoubtedly there is a great deal more that can be learnt.
When the year started, I knew only a little about the Li family, and that only from what I had heard. I didn’t even know how to spell their name right. I was spelling it Lee (actually the Li family name is spelt Lee in some areas, such as Hokkien, Teochew, and Singapore, and by some Chinese Americans). Because I knew so little about the family, it was one of my primary areas of focus when doing the research.
Understanding how Chinese names are joined: A Chinese name is made up of a family name (surname), which is written first, and then comes the personal name. In the Chinese way of things, my name would be Springmeier Fritz. Family names are usually of one character each, although there are exceptions like Ouyong and Situ. There are over 6,000 Chinese surnames for about 1 billion Chinese. The more frequent Chinese surnames in English-speaking countries such as the U.S., U.K. and Australia are Chan, Lin, Li, Wong, Huang, Mei, Yang, Chin, and Fong. In mainland China, the five top families are Chen, Li, Zhang, He, and Huang.
Family names are more meaningful for Chinese (in China) than for Americans: The Chinese surname Li is a very popular name in China, perhaps not as widespread as Smith in America, but certainly used as much as the name Brown is in America. Chinese who have the same surname have much more loyalty to someone else who has the same surname. For instance, two Chinese with the Li name would consider themselves relatives even if they were total strangers. Even if two people knew no blood ties, if they had the same surname, it has generally been considered incestuous to marry each other in China. In the U.S., if two Browns without any apparent blood ties met each other, they would not feel as if they were close relatives, which two Chinese with the same surname would.
The Li surname has a long history which goes back to a specific person named Emperor Zhuanzu, who was the first Li and lived before 20000 B.C. This is according to the Xing Zuan, the Chinese dictionary of surnames.
The Li family has a long history in China with many stories. During the Tang Dynasty about 15 different surnames were given the honour of having the Li surname. Li Yuan was the founder of the Tang Dynasty,, which lasted from 618 to 906 A.D. His son, who ruled after him, was Li Shimin. In their dynasty, printing and paper money were introduced to China. (It’s interesting that the Li’s are connected to the introduction of paper money.)
*This series, as the previous series of the ruling families is taken from the book of Fritz Springmeier.
Note from this site: The Kaifeng Jews, a tiny Jewish group in Henan province that may have originated with the arrival of Jewish traders in the ninth century, have taken on seven Chinese surnames, including Li. Due to their ancestry in the Levy (Levi) family, many Lis were rabbis. The Levi family held the priestly responsibility of supervising sacrificial offerings, according to Old Testament custom. This should already speak volumes, dear readers.
©Marica Micallef. All rights reserved. This website and its contents are the property of Marica Micallef and protected under Cap 415. Reproduction, distribution of any part of this copyrighted content or taking ideas or taking up an article without citing this site without permission is prohibited.