【英语中国】菅直人的祖先来自中国？

It's well established that Japan is a melting pot of ethnicities from around Asia and Micronesia and even as far as Siberia after interbreeding that started in the country's Jomon Era (15,000-500 BC).

Japan's new prime minister, Naoto Kan, may be the latest reminder of this.

It could be a pure coincidence, but there is a chance that his ancestors might have come from China. Kan, pronounced 'jian' in Mandarin, is a Chinese surname that finds its roots in Shandong province.

According to a Chinese dictionary of surnames, during the Spring and Autumn period in China (476-770 BC), when China was ruled by a feudal system, there was a Song Kingdom. In that kingdom, there was a county named Jian governed by a feudal lord who later took the county's name as his own.

There are other theories being discussed on the Internet in China as to how Jian became a surname in China. One based on a 'legend' says that during the Spring and Autumn period, a nobleman's family that had displeased the imperial court and was on the run to escape execution hid with the help of a bush called 'jian' and narrowly evaded the manhunt. After that incident, the nobleman's family started calling themselves Jian.

Among notable Jians throughout China's history:

Jian Yu, a renowned official during the Han dynasty

Jian Congsi, a famous official during the Tang Dynasty

Jian Huaili, an administrative official in Hubei, Hunan and Guangxi provinces during the Ming Dynasty.

If Prime Minister Kan's surname indeed has ties to Shandong province, it may have made the journey to Japan many centuries ago, so any influence on his policy views isn't all that likely. Still, his name brings a reminder of the historical and cultural ties of East Asia's two top powers at a time when their relationship is increasingly important. Ahead of his appointment as premier, Kan, while underscoring the importance of the U.S.-Japan relationship, also highlighted the importance of China to Japan, calling the relationship with its neighbor 'equally important' as the relationship with the U.S.

The surname Jian is not common in China and at least one Chinese observer, a blogger named Jian, welcomed Kan's ascendance to Japan's top political position for that reason. The blogger said he has often had trouble conveying his somewhat unusual family name to people he hasn't met before, but Kan's celebrity might solve that. He wrote in a June 4 post: 'It will be easier for me to introduce my surname in the future.'

学术界普遍认为，日本民族是亚洲各地、太平洋上密克罗尼西亚群岛、甚至远到西伯利亚的各族群融合后产生的，这一进程开始于公元前15,000-500年的绳文时代。

日本新首相菅直人(Naoto Kan)或许又让人想到了这一点。

有可能纯属巧合，但菅直人所姓的“菅”也是一个中国姓氏，起源于中国山东省，这意味着菅直人的祖先有可能来自中国。

Bloomberg News日本新首相菅直人据中国姓氏辞典称，公元前770-476年的中国春秋时期，曾经存在一个宋国。宋国有一个菅县，统治菅县的封建领主后来就以“菅”作为自己的姓氏。

在中国互联网上还有“菅”如何成为中国姓氏的其他说法。一种基于一个“传说”的说法是，春秋时期，一个逃避帝国法庭死刑判决的贵族家庭曾在一种名叫“菅”的灌木中藏身，惊险躲过了对他们的追捕。这个家族后来就以“菅”为姓。

中国历史上的菅姓名人有：

菅禹，一位汉代的有名官员。

菅崇嗣，唐代的知名官员。

菅怀理，明代湖广布政使。

如果菅直人首相的姓确实与中国山东省有联系，他的祖先也是几百年前就从中国到日本了，所以这层关系预计不会对他的政策产生任何影响。不过，在中日两国关系日益重要之际，菅直人的姓氏却提醒人们，中国和日本这两个东亚最强大的国家有着历史和文化的联系。被任命为首相前夕，菅直人在强调美日关系重要性的时候，也强调了中国对于日本的重要性，他称日中关系与日美关系“同等重要”。

“菅”姓在中国并不多见，但至少有一位姓菅的中国博客作者表示，自己因为菅直人的姓氏而欢迎他出任日本首相。这位博主说，他以前向首次见面的人介绍自己不太寻常的姓氏时总会遇到麻烦，但有了菅直人这位菅姓名人，情况可能就不同了。他6月4日在自己的博文中说，“往后再介绍自己姓氏会容易一点了。”