lěng 冷

Migration and Distribution (Lack of information) The Leng surname is not among the top 100 surnames in the Chinese Hundred Family Surnames both on the Chinese mainland and in Taiwan. It is said that during the time of Emperor Huangdi, there was a music official named Ling Lun. He established the ancient Chinese musical temperament and, together with Rong Jiang, cast 12 chime bells to perform the "Xianchi" music personally composed by Emperor Huangdi. To commend Ling Lun for his contributions, Emperor Huangdi bestowed the Ling surname upon him. After that, "Ling" became the title for officials in charge of court music and dance in the palace and later became a synonym for actors. At that time, the Chinese character - making process was not yet complete, and the ancient pronunciation of "Ling" was the same as that of "Leng". Therefore, the Ling clan also became the Leng clan. Another theory is that the Leng surname originated from the Ji surname. Some descendants of Kang Shu, the younger brother of King Wu of the Zhou Dynasty, were enfeoffed in Lengshui (now in Shaanxi Province). Their descendants then took the name of the fief as their surname, thus becoming the Leng clan. The prominent Leng families resided in Xincai (now in Henan Province) and Jingzhao (east of present - day Chang'an in Shaanxi Province).