The preface of the genealogy mainly describes the origin of the family name, the virtues of the ancestors, the migration of the clan, and the compilation and continuation of the family tree. The preface to the genealogy is usually written by celebrities of the clan or invited celebrities from society at that time to describe in detail the origin, development and migration of the clan name. In order to let future generations know the origin of their ancestors and the hardships of their migration.
Given surname: Yang Yichen's original surname was Weichi in the Sui Dynasty. He was from the Xianbei tribe and was one of the eight surnames of the Xunchen officials in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Wei Chichong, the father of Yichen, accompanied Daxi Changru, the commander-in-chief of the army, to fight against the Turks in the early Sui Dynasty, and died in a fierce battle. In memory of Yuchi Chong's achievements, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty issued an edict to grant the righteous minister the surname Yang. During the Three Kingdoms period, after Zhuge Liang pacified the Ailao Yi (a branch of the Liao tribe in Hunan and Guizhou), he gave the local ethnic minorities the surnames Zhao, Zhang, Yang, and Li.
Adoption: Yang Feilong, the leader of the Western Jin clan, Baiqingdi King, adopted his nephew Linghu Maosou and changed his surname to Yang. Yang Fuguang, whose real surname was Qiao, was raised in the family of Yang Xuanjie, the chamberlain, when he was young, so he changed his surname to Yang. Yang Shouliang, whose real surname was Zi, was named Liang. When Yang Fuguang suppressed the Huangchao uprising in Jiangxi, he got Ziliang and raised him as a fake son. He changed his surname to Yang and his name to Shouliang.
Escape: The surname Yang of Gaipu in present-day Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province was changed from the surname Ni. Ni Zheng, the eighth descendant of Ni Ying, served in the Song Dynasty as a bachelor of Longtuge. He was exiled to Xinzhou because he opposed Wang Anshi's reform. At that time, Ni Zheng's youngest son Ni Shun was still in his infancy and was hiding from Gai Pu's family. The government hooked him up, and his maternal grandmother, Meng, exchanged it with her younger uncle, Tong Geng, and was able to survive. When Ni Shun grew up, he was good at mechanics, so he changed his name to Yang in memory of his maternal family name Yang.
Ethnic minorities changed their surnames: After Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang, he implemented the Sinicization policy, and the Mohulu family name was changed to Yang. Among the Bai people, the surname Yang has always been the main surname. In the Tang Dynasty, it was the most common surname of the Bai people.