lì 郦

### Migration and Distribution The Li surname is not among the top 100 surnames in the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. After Dayu established the Xia Dynasty, out of respect for the great figures of ancient times, especially Huangdi, he enfeoffed Huangdi's descendants in the place called Li (northeast of present - day Neixiang County, Henan Province), allowing them to establish the State of Li. The descendants of the royal family of the State of Li took the place - name as their surname and passed it down from generation to generation. This is the earliest origin of the Li surname today. During the struggle between Chu and Han, there was Li Yiji from Chenliu (southeast of present - day Kaifeng, Henan). He was originally a gatekeeper in the neighborhood. Because he offered a plan to capture Chenliu and made great contributions, he was conferred the title of Lord Guangye. Li Yiji often served as an envoy, traveling between the vassal states. Later, he persuaded Qi, and with his eloquence, he convinced Qi to surrender 72 cities. When Han Xin attacked Qi, Qi thought that Li Yiji had betrayed them and thus boiled him alive. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Li Daoyuan loved literature and was eager to learn. He read a large number of rare books and wrote 40 volumes of *Commentary on the Water Classic*. He also had 13 chapters of *Local Chronicles* and works such as *Seven Invitations* and other articles, all of which were widely circulated. The ancients described these two men as "experts in the art of persuasion and the compiler of water - related records". At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, Li Hong, with the courtesy name Zhengda, served as the Commander of the Imperial Guard. His son, Li Lun, with the courtesy name Tianxu, was the prefect of Shaoxing. When he heard the news that his father died in the national disaster, he settled his family in Taiping Village, Zhuji County, Zhejiang Province. Then he took his sons Deyi and De'er on a long - distance journey to Danyang to search for his father's remains. On the way, due to grief and worry, he fell ill and died at Guning Temple in Danyang. Deyi and De'er buried their grandfather and father in Mazhuang Village on the south side of the canal. Later, Li Hong was posthumously awarded the title of General Protecting the Country of the Dragon - Tiger Upper Auxiliary Army and was respected as the founding ancestor of the Li clan in Danyang. Deyi and De'er settled down in Jizhuang Village, Lingkou to guard the ancestral tombs and worship their ancestors. From then on, the Li clan thrived and multiplied in Danyang. The 11th - generation descendant of Li Hong, Li Hao, had three sons named Lian, Xiang, and Xi. Their descendants have lived in Dongcai Village, Lingkou for generations. In the late Ming Dynasty, Jialin and Jiafeng (branches from Dongcai), the 14th - generation descendants of Li Hong, made a living by setting up a stall near Yongji Nunnery beside the Grand Canal. It was a severe winter, with water freezing at every drop and the river surface sealed, which blocked the boats. Suddenly, they saw a scholar shivering in thin clothes and suffering from hunger. After asking, they learned that he also had the surname Li and was from Zhuji, Zhejiang. The two brothers, considering him as a member of the same clan, invited him to their home and entertained him for several days. When he was leaving, they also gave him some travel expenses. Three years later, the two brothers' wives died, and their children were young. Their livelihood became more and more difficult. They once went to Zhejiang with the scholar to make a living, got married and had children in Zhuji, and rebuilt their families, which lasted for more than 10 years. Later, they returned to Danyang and settled in Pengjia Village, Daying Mountain. Li Jialin's eldest son, Li Sifang, stayed in the old house; the second son, Li Sichun, moved to Yunyang; the third son, Li Siyou, moved to Wangdezhuang. Li Jiafeng's son, Sizheng, settled in Liuru. According to the last genealogy in the 16th year of the Republic of China (1927), the Li clan in Danyang had gone through 27 generations. Today, there are many people with the Li surname in Zhaoxiang and Shaoxiang in Lingkou. In addition, there are also many Li clan members living in Lixiang in Jinglin, Daying Mountain in Huqiao, Jiuxian in Xinggong, Liuru in Yanling, and Lijia in Baota Bay of Yunyang Town (the rest is omitted).