Zhang Zhaohong: The mystery of the tombstones in the "Alberta Chinese History and Culture Grand View Garden" (5)

Zhang Zhaohong: The tombstone mystery in the "Alberta Chinese History and Culture Grand View Garden" (5) Phoenix Zhang Zhaohong The Deng family tree compiled by Mr. Deng Yuedian can be traced back to AD...

Phoenix City Zhang Zhaohong

The Deng family tree edited by Mr. Deng Yuedian can be traced back to 1200 AD. In the order of generations, the word "yuan" in Deng Xiangyuan has become the key to solving the mystery of the tombstone.

Every Chinese has his or her own surname. The descendants of the same ancestor are called clans. The surname and the person's name together constitute a person's name. The surname is a sign and symbol that expresses a person's family blood relationship. The surname Deng is the 34th most common surname in mainland China (data from 2006). The surname Deng originated in today's Henan Province. It migrated southward in large numbers during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and its migration to Fujian and Guangdong was earlier than the Han Dynasty. Mainly distributed in Sichuan, Hunan, Guangdong, Hong Kong and other places.

There are many branches of the Deng family, with different generations. Many branches use the word generation to distinguish their seniority. The surname is not the original name. Only married men can be given the surname "Sen". Taking the Deng Xiaoping family as an example, in the "Guang'an County Deng Family Genealogy", the use of "benevolence is the heart, Ke Shao is the first type, cultivates the country, and Yaner is prosperous." To establish the surname, Deng Xiaoping's great-grandfather Deng Xinzao, his grandfather Deng Keda, and his father Deng Shaochang. His original name was Deng Xianxian, but he changed it to Deng Xiaoping after participating in the revolution. These are all arranged according to the characters "xin, ke, shao, and xian" in generation. The character generation can make people know the level of seniority at a glance.

> The Deng family tree compiled by Mr. Deng Yuedian can be traced back to 1200 AD. Mr. Deng Yuedian said that since the 99th generation descendant of the Deng family, Mr. Wan Jinggong, moved from Jingtou Village in Taishan to Hulong Village in Kaiping, he began to have the surname Shu generation. Mr. Wan Jing had three sons, called "Three Fangs". They belonged to the second room of the Deng family, and their names were arranged in generations. It is: "Jiahou has a long and prosperous origin, and the industry is prosperous and the world is prosperous." His great-grandfather belongs to the "Yuan" generation, and his name is Deng Weiyuan, his grandfather belongs to the "Ye" generation, and his name is Deng Zengye, and his father belongs to the "Long" generation, and his name is Deng Kailong belongs to the "Shi" generation of his own generation, and his married name should have been Deng Chengshi. However, there was no need to change his name in the United States at this time, so he still used his birth name Deng Yuedian.

>Deng Yuedian's great-grandfather Deng Ziyuan, named Deng Weiyuan by generation, had two wives.

Deng Yuedian's great-grandfather Deng Ziyuan, whose surname after marriage was Deng Weiyuan, was an official in the Qing Dynasty and the same generation as Deng Xiangyuan. Deng Yuedian's grandfather, Deng Zengye, was the first generation of immigrants to the United States, but there is not much information left behind. We only know that he later went to Honolulu to run a fruit business until his death. His father, Deng Kailong, was born in Yong'anli, Hulong, Chikan, Kaiping, Guangdong in 1888. In 1907, 19-year-old Deng Kailong went to San Francisco and later to Phoenix to run a business. In 1916, Deng Kailong returned to the mainland to get married and returned to Phoenix with his wife. In 1928, Deng Kailong, who valued traditional Chinese cultural education, took his family back to China and left his two sons, Deng Yueyin and Deng Yuedian, in Guangzhou to study Chinese. Later, his brother Deng Yueyin and his mother returned to the United States first. Deng Yuedian studied at the High School Affiliated to Guangzhou National Sun Yat-sen University. When he was in the third year of junior high school, he returned to the United States due to the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War in China. Therefore, the two brothers were both good in Chinese and English. His father, Deng Kailong, was a well-known early overseas Chinese leader in the city. He was also one of the founders of the first Chinese organization in the province, the "Chinese Business Association." The "Chinese Business Association" was registered with the Arizona State Government in 1939 and is now called the "Alberta Chinese Business Association." The Chinese Business Association has made great contributions to the local Chinese.

The four brothers of Deng Yuedian had served in the military one after another. He himself served as a soldier in World War II and participated in the Battle of Normandy. On August 6, 1944, Deng Yuedian carried out his 30th mission to bomb the engine factory in Berlin, Germany. However, after dropping the bomb, the plane was hit by artillery fire and he was captured by the Germans after parachuting. In February 1945, in order to escape the Soviet offensive, the Germans decided to move the entire prison camp on foot. Deng Yuedian and more than 10,000 prisoners of war began a "death journey" and walked a thousand miles, from the east coast to the west coast, and then back to the east coast. They walked for more than a hundred days and suffered many hardships. On May 4, 1945, Deng Yuedian was rescued by the British army. He was the only Chinese American in Arizona captured during World War II and was awarded the War Vanguard Medal by the U.S. government. On January 16, 2007, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon designated this day as "Deng Yuedian Day." Deng Yuedian and his eldest brother Deng Yueyin are both senior overseas Chinese leaders of the Chinese community in Phoenix City. They have held many positions and are very familiar with the situation of the clan and the older generation of overseas Chinese. The clan members of Deng's family office visited the memorial cemetery in the early years and visited the tombs of their ancestors. This is of great help to us in understanding Deng Xiangyuan's background.

>Deng Kailong

Frank Henry (Deng Yuedian) Fred (Deng Yueyin) Robert

>Deng Kailong's four sons served as soldiers to protect their family and country during World War II

In the Deng family tree, due to the many branches, Mr. Deng Yuedian mainly recorded that he was a member of the Erfangzi sect in Hulongyong'anli, Kaiping. He told me that the last characters in the name: Yuan, Ye, and Long represent the seniority of the three generations and will not confuse people. Therefore, the word "yuan" in Deng Xiangyuan's tombstone should be a member of the Deng clan who came to the local area very early, earlier than his grandfather Deng Zengye, the first generation of immigrants to the United States! Chinese writing is so profound and profound that it’s astonishing, and one word often determines the outcome!

Mr. Deng Yuedian checked the genealogy and told me that Deng Xiangyuan of Dalou Village belongs to the Sanfang tribe. He lacks information in this regard. He has preserved the "Deng Gao" of his father Deng Kailong. In the "New and Old Baizi Association of the Building Industry of the Secret General Office", I saw records of the names of Zhongyuan, Ye and Long in the three houses of the Deng family in Daduao Village, such as Linyuan, Anye, Juye, Shiye, Xinlong, Dulong, Qiaolong and other related names. However, in the Deng family tree he compiled, the name Deng Xiangyuan could not be found.

The enthusiastic Deng Yuedian asked me to inquire about Mr. Deng Wentian, a famous overseas Chinese leader who currently lives in San Francisco, because he is a native of Dalou Village and has preserved the genealogy of the three Deng family members. So during the second visit, he copied me the detailed name, address, phone number and other information of the contact person. Here, I am very grateful to senior Deng Yuedian for his help.

The next day, I had to go to San Francisco for a wedding party, so I made an appointment to meet Mr. Deng Wentian. Unfortunately, it was windy and rainy that day, so I couldn't go, so I had to ask for advice on the phone. (To be continued, the article is serialized in "Phoenix Art Network" http://www.paaca.us