Names

He is also known as Hu Gong Man (胡公满) and Gui Man (媯满).

Chen's given name was Man (滿), and his xing (姓) or surname was Gui (媯), which is the ancestor of the surname Chen (陈).

Hu (胡) was his posthumous name.

Biography

Chen was said to be a descendant of the legendary sage king Emperor Shun. His father Efu (閼父) served as taozheng (陶正), the official in charge of the manufacture of pottery, for the Zhou state. King Wu of Zhou thought highly of Efu, and gave his eldest daughter, Da Ji (大姬), to Efu's son Man in marriage.

After King Wu conquered the Shang dynasty to establish the Zhou dynasty in 1046/45 BC, he enfeoffed the descendants of three ancient sage kings in the newly conquered land, known as the San Ke (三恪, "Three Reverent States"), and Man was enfeoffed at the state of Chen, with its capital at Wanqiu, in modern Huaiyang County, Henan Province.

After Chen died, he was succeeded by his son Xihou (犀侯), posthumously known as Duke Shēn of Chen. After the death of Duke Shēn, a younger son of Chen, Gaoyang (皋羊), ascended the throne, to be known as Duke Xiang of Chen.

Family

Wife: Daji (大姬), Zhou Wuwang's eldest daughter

Children

• Chen Shengong (陳申公), older son, 2nd ruler of Chen

• Chen Xianggong (陳相公), younger son, 3rd ruler of Chen

Legacy

Chen is honoured as the founding ancestor of the Chen surname, which originated in the state of Chen. As of 2020, Chen is the 5th most common surname in China today and 4th most common in the world, shared by 70 million people within the country and over 100 million people worldwide (in 2014, there were 54 million in China and 80 million worldwide).

Some of Chen's descendants adopted his posthumous name Hu as their surname, and Chen is also considered one of the main ancestors of Hu, the 15th most common surname in China. Dozens of other surnames, including Tian, Yuan, and Che, originated as branches of the Chen surname.

The Chen clan would later found the Chen Dynasty of China and then the Trần dynasty, a golden age of Vietnam (陈朝 Tran is the Vietnamese pronunciation of Chen).

In 1400 AD, Hồ Quý Ly overthrew the Trần dynasty and established the Hồ dynasty (Hồ is the Vietnamese pronunciation for "Hu"). He claimed to be a descendant of Chen Hugong and Emperor Shun, and changed the name of Vietnam from Đại Việt to Đại Ngu (大虞), or Great Ngu (Ngu is the Vietnamese pronunciation for Yu 虞 the legendary state of Emperor Shun).

The State of Chen that Chen Hugong founded is also the birthplace of Daoism, being the home country of Laozi.

Tomb

Chen's tomb was said to be made of iron and buried under water near the Dragon Lake in Huaiyang County. Archaeologists have found Western Zhou era pottery shards and Warring States-era roof tiles in the area. In 1995, Singaporean businessman Chen Yonghe (陳永和) donated funds to build a new mausoleum and temple complex for Chen in Huaiyang, and it has become a popular pilgrimage site for people of Chen, Hu, and other surnames that originated in the state of Chen.

Memorial

A memorial of Chen Hugong (陈胡公纪念堂) has been built in Fuzhou, Fujian.

家庭

• 妻子：大姬（周武王之長女）

子女

• 長子：陳申公

• 次子：陳相公

陳胡公墓

陳胡公墓又名胡公鐵墓，墓地位于周口市淮陽縣城東南龍湖西側的陳胡公陵園裡，據史料記載，陳胡公墓用鐵鑄成，建在水下，即陳胡公墓原本處于沼澤中央，後來新加坡著名企業家陳永和捐資填平了沼澤，修建了現在的陳胡公陵園，陳胡公墓重修落成典禮于1995年10月15日舉行，墓地直徑20米。該地每年都會受到許多後人的祭拜。

陳胡公紀念堂

籌建中的紀念堂位于福建省福州市動車南站廣場東面。

參考文獻與註釋

外部鏈接

• 陳胡公文化網.2013年11月18日建站

• 圖說淮陽陳胡公墓：全球五十個姓氏之祖墓