Jingdong CEO Liu Qiangdong’s “search for ancestors” caused a sensation
Liu Zhe At the beginning of the new year of 2018, Liu Qiangdong, the founder of JD.com, released an "Ancestor Search Announcement" on Toutiao today, which can be said to have stirred up a thousand waves with one stone. Due to the celebrity effect, the news of Liu Qiangdong's search for his ancestors immediately exploded in the circle of friends, WeChat, and the media. Especially the Liu clan members in Hunan and Xiangtan were extremely emotional and excited. They were gearing up to spontaneously support the Liu clan. Provide selfless family assistance.
On January 2, Liu Qiangdong’s "Ancestor Search Announcement" read: "Before liberation, the family was from the Liu clan in Xiangtan County, Hunan Province. My great-grandfather was born here and later moved to Jiangsu for some reason. Because my great-great-grandfather and grandpa passed away early, they left only limited information - Xiangtan Liu Family Zhongling Hall. My father asked me to find the family genealogy and ask the Liu clan members in the old Xiangtan County to pass it on to each other. I am very grateful."
Liu Qiangdong said that his ancestral home is the Liu family in Xiangtan County, Hunan Province. His family name is Zhonglingtang. His known seniority: loyalty, righteousness, strong ambition, and good fortune and tranquility. He also said that since the scope of Xiangtan County in the past was different from the current Xiangtan City, he hoped that all the Liu ancestral clan members in Xiangtan and surrounding areas would help provide clues.
As a genealogy scholar who has been studying genealogy for more than 30 years, I am delighted to hear that Liu Qiangdong, a corporate tycoon and founder of JD.com, has joined the ranks of "root-seeking" in a high-profile manner. I feel sincerely happy and express my eager attention.
Liu Qiangdong’s “search for his ancestors” once became a hot topic in the news. I believe that there are many factors that contribute to the formation of this hot spot. First, the general social background. Since the reform and opening up, it has gradually become fashionable to compile genealogies, pass on family loyalty and filial piety, and trace roots and ancestors. Compiling family trees, building ancestral halls, family training, and passing on family traditions have become compulsory courses for every family with a surname; Secondly, Liu Qiangdong, as the founder of the famous company JD.com, a "post-70s generation", publicly released the "ancestral search" announcement, which can be said to express the aspirations of the younger generation; thirdly, with the help of today's powerful and diverse media Advantages, newspapers, magazines, television, the Internet, WeChat and other carriers have rapidly fermented and spread; fourth, after the "19th National Congress", China has entered a "new era", and thousands of years of Confucian culture, surname culture, filial piety culture and other Chinese cultures have , which should be inherited and carried forward.
One media outlet quickly followed up, each member of the Liu family paid close attention, each research institution offered advice, and even relevant government departments were willing to lend a warm hand and actively help Liu Qiangdong "realize his dream." Liu Qiangdong's "ancestral search" this time is not only a personal behavior, but also an awakening and passionate burst of the collective "root-seeking consciousness" of the Chinese people!
Liu Qiangdong’s “searching for his ancestors” deserves recognition. However, the language used in the "Announcement on Searching for Ancestors" published on Weibo is not standardized and rigorous enough, which is regrettable. In the announcement of just over 100 words, the first sentence reads: "The family was a member of the Liu clan in Xiangtan County, Hunan Province before liberation." I feel that something is wrong. It might as well be changed to "The ancestors of the Liu family moved from Xiangtan, Hunan Province before liberation." county". "My father asked me to find the family genealogy", which can be changed to: "My father is eager to find the family genealogy". Without making any assumptions, the author revised the "Announcement on Searching for Ancestors" as follows: "The ancestors of the Liu family moved from Xiangtan County, Hunan Province before liberation. Grandpa was born here, and later moved to Jiangsu for some reason. Because Grandpa and Grandpa died early, only Limited information - Xiangtan Liu Family Zhong Ling Tang, my father is eager to find the family genealogy, and I urge the Liu clan members in the old Xiangtan County to tell each other, thank you very much!"
Liu Qiangdong announced the known information after the announcement! Seniority: "Loyalty, righteousness, strong will, good fortune and peace." However, according to Red Net reports, on January 5, Liu Qiangdong told the Red Net Moment News reporter through a friend that the generation to which their ancestors belonged should be: righteousness, strong will, Blessed jade is peaceful. Rather than what was mentioned in the announcement before: Loyalty and ambition, happiness and peace, this also reflects Liu Qiangdong's correct attitude of correcting his mistakes!
According to Red Net reports, after searching, Liu Qiangdong should be a "relative of the emperor." According to genealogical speculation, Liu Qiangdong's relatives are from the Liu family branch in Chuntang, Xiangtan. The "Liu Family Zhongling Hall" is located in Maowuwan, Huashi Town, Xiangtan County. The ancestor Liu Qiangdong is looking for is more likely to be Chu Yuan, the fourth brother of Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty. Descendants of Wang Liujiao. In response, Liu Qiangdong responded: "I'm dizzy! It's too far...to the moon!"
I was shocked when I saw such a response.
Many media, experts, and Liu family members have all made suggestions and provided information for Liu Qiangdong's "ancestral search". Whether it is effective or ineffective, Liu Qiangdong should have been rigorous and grateful from the bottom of his heart! As we all know, all descendants of Yan and Huang can generally be traced back to Yan and Huang. They are either descendants of the Yellow Emperor or the Yan Emperor. This is common sense. According to Liu Qiangdong's logic, if he goes to Yanhuang to trace his roots and inquire about his ancestors, wouldn't it involve the "solar system and the Milky Way"? !
The Liu family in Xiangtan, according to family tree records, are mostly descendants of Liu Jiao, the fourth brother of Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty and King of Chu Yuan. At present, Liu Qiangdong’s family tree has not been confirmed. But it is highly possible that he is a descendant of Liu Jiao. How could he respond like this? From scratch, he has created a huge Jingdong enterprise empire. He is indeed an elite, but when it comes to tracing his roots and doing genealogy research, he may be a layman. I sincerely hope that Mr. Liu Qiangdong can take advantage of this opportunity to "find his ancestors" to catch up on the surname culture course, trace his origins, and truly understand the mystery of his family background.
The media reported that the "most promising clue" had just been stolen by a thief, which aroused the emotion of many readers. Some netizens even lamented that even if you are extremely rich, you may not be able to find your family tree or ancestors. I am here to tell you not to rush to conclusions. As far as I know from my research, the family tree stolen by the thief is not an unique copy, so we don’t need to despair. The Shanghai Library has the "Five Revised Genealogy of the Liu Family in Chuntang, Xiangtan" (Dubentang, 31st year of the Republic of China, wooden movable type version), as well as two versions of the genealogy from the Qing Dynasty.
On January 7, "Xiaoxiang Morning News" reported under the title "Clues to Liu Qiangdong's Ancestors Discovered in Chenzhou": After Liu Qiangdong, Chairman and CEO of JD.com Group, released an announcement on finding his ancestors online, netizens clicked With more than 20 million entries, many enthusiastic Hunanese also started searching for relevant clues. On January 6, reporters came to the Hunan Han Culture Research Association. Some experts said that some netizens revealed that there is a stone tomb in Yongxing, Chenzhou, and the main monument is engraved with "Zhonglingtang". Experts say this may be the most effective information currently and will be further verified.
But I think that "Chenzhou is the ancestral place of Liu Qiangdong", it is too early to draw such a hasty conclusion and needs to be discussed. Although the tombstone is engraved with "Zhong Ling Tang", and although the owner of the tomb is the Liu family, her husband's family is the Yin family. It is most likely that the name of the Yin family, not the name of the wife's maiden family, is engraved on the tombstone. For example, the tombstones of the ancestors of our Liu family are all engraved with "Hedong County (or Hedong Hall)" to show that we do not forget Hedong, the birthplace of the Liu family. In addition, according to the investigation, "Zhonglingtang" is the certificate of the secret organization Tiandihui in the Qing Dynasty, and it also issued Zhonglingtang cloth tickets. It is unknown whether Yin Jun, the husband of the Liu family who owns the tomb, is related to the "Zhongling Hall" of the Tiandihui. The "Zhong Ling Tang" on the tombstone seems to have little relationship with Liu Qiangdong's family name "Zhong Ling Tang". Another possibility is that Liu Qiangdong’s ancestors were members of the Tiandi Society. Zhong Lingtang is their identity certificate of belonging to the Tiandi Society - the membership card "Zhong Lingtang"? It may not necessarily be a family name, but we hope enthusiasts will conduct further research to determine it.
To this day, the news about Liu Qiangdong’s “search for his ancestors” continues to ferment. As the reports deepen, more powerful clues may be discovered and the mystery of his life experience will be revealed. To say the least, things are counterproductive. If you really can't find the most accurate evidence to prove your life experience, Mr. Liu Qiangdong, don't be discouraged. Even if you can't realize your ancestors by blood, as a big entrepreneur, you need to find your roots and inquire about your ancestors. His behavior is enough to be praised by the world!
Recognizing ancestors and returning to the clan has two meanings: one is to recognize ancestors by blood, and the other is to recognize ancestors through culture. In case you can't find the pedigree from the family tree. We can also recognize our ancestors culturally, draw nutrients from the family culture of our own surname, carry forward the family culture of our own surname, benefit the country and the people, and honor our ancestors!
I believe that through hard work, Mr. Liu Qiangdong will be able to make his dream come true! If the recognition of ancestors by blood is blocked, one can still recognize the ancestors culturally and make due contributions to Liu family culture research, family tradition inheritance, ancestral hall repairs, cemetery construction, clan rescue, talent training, etc.
"The body, hair and skin are received by parents and dare not be damaged, which is the beginning of filial piety; establishing oneself and practicing the Tao, becoming famous in future generations is the end of filial piety!" Mr. Liu Qiangdong, from his small family in Suqian, Jiangsu, to Xiangtan, Hunan Even the big Liu family across the country has even returned to the embrace of the Yanhuang ancestors and the Chinese nation. From small filial piety to great filial piety, there is no great kindness!
I hope Liu Qiangdong’s “ancestral search” can awaken more people’s awareness of “root search” and inspire people’s enthusiasm for root search. When you are full and warm, you will think about lust, and when you are suddenly rich, you will forget your roots. People must have roots and a career with roots can prosper.
In the new era, we should be cautious about pursuing the future, maintain the people's moral integrity, inherit the family tradition, be a "respectable person", do "reliable" things, never forget the roots, and never "show off". Through the family tree, we can look back on the present and recall the past, and let the virtues of our ancestors light up our hearts; we should study family mottos, reflect on ourselves three times a day, sublimate our thoughts and temper our personality; abide by family mottos, carry forward the virtues of our ancestors, cultivate our family, govern our country, and bring peace to the world.
The Yan-Huang lineage, all surnames return to the clan, harmonize all nations, and the world is one family. Economic development, social stability, tracing roots and ancestors, compiling family trees, revitalizing families, and inheriting family traditions are the blessings of the people, the country, and the nation! Upright family tradition, honest folk customs, and pure national customs will allow the culture of "family and country" to be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and let Chinese culture go to the world!