Gao Collagraphy
Gao Style : BaGua Martial Art
Pronounce "Gao"
History Of Gao 高 Surname
Gao 高 (Surname)
Gao (Chinese: 高) is an East Asian surname of Chinese origin that can be literally translated as "high" or "tall". There are approximately 16 million living people with this surname. Some places, such as Taiwan, usually romanise this family name into Kao. In Hong Kong, it is romanized to Ko. In Macau, it is romanized to Kou.
Romanisation and pronunciation
Origin
According to Lüshi Chunqiu, the earliest figure with the Gao surname was Gao Yuan (高元) who created dwellings in antiquity.[1] The grandson of the Yellow Emperor Zhuanxu was also known as Gao Yang (高陽).
Another origin of Gao is the Jiang (姜) surname. According to the Song dynasty encyclopedia Tongzhi, an early ancestor was Gao Xi (高傒) who was granted the surname Gao in honour of his grandfather Prince Gao (公子高).[2] Prince Gao was the son of Duke Wen of the state of Qi whose ancestral name was Jiang (姜).[3]
Many non-Han Chinese used the surname Gao:
Historical
Gao Changgong （？－573AD）(Chinese: 高长恭; pinyin: Gāo Chánggōng), whose formal name was Gao Su (Traditional Chinese:高肅; Simplified Chinese: 高肃; pinyin: Gāo Sù) or Gao Xiaoguan (高孝瓘), was also known as Prince of Lanling (蘭陵王) as his princedom was Lanling County. Gao Changgong was the grandson of Gao Huan (高歡) and the fourth son of Gao Cheng (高澄). Gao Changgong was a high-ranking general of the Northern Qi Dynasty. According to "The Book of Northern Qi", Gao Changgong had a beautiful face thus he always wore a terrible mask when he fought in battles.
Biography
Gao Changgong was born the fourth son of Gao Cheng, elder brother of the first emperor of Northern Qi and therefore a prince of Northern Qi. As his land was known as Lanling, he was given the title of Prince of Lanling. Gao Changgong was also made a general by Emperor Wucheng of Northern Qi (Gao Zhan), his uncle, and his distinction in battles as well as personal kindness and bravery led him becoming widely loved and admired. Legend has it that he looked beautiful like a woman so he wore a mask in battles to appear more fearsome to the enemy.[1]
Gao Changgong repelled the Göktürks when they attacked Jinyang (晋阳, now the city of Taiyuan). His most famous battle however was the rescue of the siege of Jinyong (金墉, near modern Luoyang) in 564 A.D. Gao Changgong led only 500 cavalrymen and fought through an army of Northern Zhou, which was attacking the city with 100,000 soldiers. He fought his way to the gates the city, surprising the defenders. The soldiers of Jinyong didn't recognize him, so he took off his helmet and mask. The soldiers in the city rejoiced at his arrival and were refilled with courage. They opened the gates and joined the battle outside the city. Soon the army of Northern Zhou was defeated.
_1.jpg/450px-Ryouou_in_Bugaku_(Hokkaido_Gokoku-Jinja)_1.jpg)
The performance of the masked dance The Prince of Lanling (蘭陵王) in Japan.
In order to celebrate the victory, the soldiers composed a famous song and dance "Prince Lanling in Battle” (兰陵王入阵曲). This song and the dance are long lost in China itself, however, it was introduced into Japan during the Tang Dynasty and is still being performed in some ceremonies today.[2]
After the death of Gao Zhan, Gao Wei(高 纬), Gao Changgon's cousin, ascended the throne. Gao Changong's reputation, competence and influence over the army upset the young emperor. Gao Wei asked Gao Changgong about the battle at Jinyong: "You penetrated too deeply into the formation; if you had suffered a military reverse, it would be too late to regret such an action." Gao Changgong replied: "I am responsible for our family affairs, I did it without considering the consequences." The emperor, hearing the reference to "family affairs" became suspicious.[2] He was afraid that Gao Changgong might overthrow him. Many members of the Gao family had met their ends at the hands of brothers and cousins, and he became paranoid that he would have the same fate.
To avoid the emperor's suspicion and jealousy, Gao Changgong often pretended to be sick, staying away from wars and politics. No matter how low a profile he kept, the emperor still sent him a cup of poisonous wine one day in 573 A.D. Gao Changgong drank the wine and ended his life, probably in his early 30’s.
Four years after Gao Changgong's death, having lost one of its greatest generals, Northern Qi was destroyed by Northern Zhou. All the members of the Gao royal family were slaughtered ruthlessly.
Popular culture
Gao Changgong is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI by Koei. His story is also dramatized in the 2013 television series Prince of Lan Ling[3] and 2016 television series Princese of Lanling King.[4]
References Section I
Gao 高 (Surname)
Gao (Chinese: 高) is an East Asian surname of Chinese origin that can be literally translated as "high" or "tall". There are approximately 16 million living people with this surname. Some places, such as Taiwan, usually romanise this family name into Kao. In Hong Kong, it is romanized to Ko. In Macau, it is romanized to Kou.
| Gao | |
 Stroke order of the Gao surname |
|
| Pronunciation | Gāo (Pinyin) Ko (Pe̍h-ōe-jī) Gou1 (Jyutping) |
| Language(s) | Chinese |
| Origin | |
| Language(s) | Old Chinese |
| Meaning | high, tall |
| Other names | |
| Variant(s) | Gao, Kao (Mandarin) Ko, Kou (Cantonese, Hokkien) |
| Derivative(s) | Cao, Ko |
Romanisation and pronunciation
| Dialect or Format | Transliteration or Pronunciation |
| Mandarin | Gāo (Hanyu pinyin); Kao1 (Wade-Giles) |
| Cantonese | Gou1 (Jyutping) |
| Minnan | Ko (Peh-oe-ji) |
| Japanese | Kō |
| Vietnamese | Cao |
| Korean | Ko (McCune–Reischauer), Go (Revised Romanization) |
According to Lüshi Chunqiu, the earliest figure with the Gao surname was Gao Yuan (高元) who created dwellings in antiquity.[1] The grandson of the Yellow Emperor Zhuanxu was also known as Gao Yang (高陽).
Another origin of Gao is the Jiang (姜) surname. According to the Song dynasty encyclopedia Tongzhi, an early ancestor was Gao Xi (高傒) who was granted the surname Gao in honour of his grandfather Prince Gao (公子高).[2] Prince Gao was the son of Duke Wen of the state of Qi whose ancestral name was Jiang (姜).[3]
Many non-Han Chinese used the surname Gao:
- The Xianbei clan of Lou (楼) of the Northern Wei period later changed their surname to Gao. The Yuan (元) family also adopted this surname in this period
- Xú (徐) family of the Northern Qi period
- Baipu (百濮) people of Yunnan (雲南)
Historical
- Gao Anagong official of the Northern Qi
- Gao Cheng paramount official of the Chinese/Xianbei state Eastern Wei,
- Gao Heng emperor of Northern Qi.
- Gao Huan paramount general of the Chinese/Xianbei dynasty Northern Wei and Northern Wei's branch successor state Eastern Wei.
- Gao Shaoyi imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi
- Gao Wei emperor of Northern Qi
- Gao Yang Founding Emperor of Northern Qi
- Gao Yanzong imperial prince of the Chinese dynasty Northern Qi
- Gao Shilian, chancellor during the Tang Dynasty
- Gao Shun, Military General under Warlord Lü Bu during the late Han Dynasty
- Gao Jiong, official during the Sui Dynasty
- Gao Yun (Northern Wei), official during the Northern Wei Dynasty
- Gao Yun (Northern Yan), emperor of the Northern Yan Dynasty
- Gao Xianzhi, general during the Tang Dynasty of Korean descent
- Gao Gang, a Chinese Communist leader
- Gao Hong, pipa player and composer
- Gao Jianli, a Zhu player and friend of Jing Ke
- Gao Jixing, a king of Jingnan
- Gao Jun, Chinese-American table tennis player
- Gao Ling, Chinese badminton player
- Gao Min (cyclist), Chinese cyclist
- Gao Min (diver), Chinese diver
- Gao Qiu, character from Shui Hu Zhuan
- Gao Shuying, Chinese pole vaulter
- Gao Song, Chinese figure skater
- Gao Xie, calligraphist, painter, poet, writer, book collector
- Gao Xingjian, 2000 Nobel Prize in Literature
- Gao Xu, poet, writer, publisher, revolutionary
- Gao Yihan, intellectual
- Gao Yisheng, creator of the Gao style of the Chinese Internal Martial Art of Baguazhang
- Gao Zhisheng, activist
- Ping-Tse Kao
- Min Kao
- Charles K. Kao, inventor of data transmission using optical fibre, was awarded half of the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics
Gao Changgong （？－573AD）(Chinese: 高长恭; pinyin: Gāo Chánggōng), whose formal name was Gao Su (Traditional Chinese:高肅; Simplified Chinese: 高肃; pinyin: Gāo Sù) or Gao Xiaoguan (高孝瓘), was also known as Prince of Lanling (蘭陵王) as his princedom was Lanling County. Gao Changgong was the grandson of Gao Huan (高歡) and the fourth son of Gao Cheng (高澄). Gao Changgong was a high-ranking general of the Northern Qi Dynasty. According to "The Book of Northern Qi", Gao Changgong had a beautiful face thus he always wore a terrible mask when he fought in battles.
| Gao Changgong | |||
| Prince of Lanling | |||
 Prince of Lanling at Itsukushima Shrine |
|||
| Died | 573 | ||
| Spouse | Lady Zheng | ||
|
|||
| Father | Gao Cheng | ||
Biography
Gao Changgong was born the fourth son of Gao Cheng, elder brother of the first emperor of Northern Qi and therefore a prince of Northern Qi. As his land was known as Lanling, he was given the title of Prince of Lanling. Gao Changgong was also made a general by Emperor Wucheng of Northern Qi (Gao Zhan), his uncle, and his distinction in battles as well as personal kindness and bravery led him becoming widely loved and admired. Legend has it that he looked beautiful like a woman so he wore a mask in battles to appear more fearsome to the enemy.[1]
Gao Changgong repelled the Göktürks when they attacked Jinyang (晋阳, now the city of Taiyuan). His most famous battle however was the rescue of the siege of Jinyong (金墉, near modern Luoyang) in 564 A.D. Gao Changgong led only 500 cavalrymen and fought through an army of Northern Zhou, which was attacking the city with 100,000 soldiers. He fought his way to the gates the city, surprising the defenders. The soldiers of Jinyong didn't recognize him, so he took off his helmet and mask. The soldiers in the city rejoiced at his arrival and were refilled with courage. They opened the gates and joined the battle outside the city. Soon the army of Northern Zhou was defeated.
_1.jpg){kind=link}
The performance of the masked dance The Prince of Lanling (蘭陵王) in Japan.
In order to celebrate the victory, the soldiers composed a famous song and dance "Prince Lanling in Battle” (兰陵王入阵曲). This song and the dance are long lost in China itself, however, it was introduced into Japan during the Tang Dynasty and is still being performed in some ceremonies today.[2]
After the death of Gao Zhan, Gao Wei(高 纬), Gao Changgon's cousin, ascended the throne. Gao Changong's reputation, competence and influence over the army upset the young emperor. Gao Wei asked Gao Changgong about the battle at Jinyong: "You penetrated too deeply into the formation; if you had suffered a military reverse, it would be too late to regret such an action." Gao Changgong replied: "I am responsible for our family affairs, I did it without considering the consequences." The emperor, hearing the reference to "family affairs" became suspicious.[2] He was afraid that Gao Changgong might overthrow him. Many members of the Gao family had met their ends at the hands of brothers and cousins, and he became paranoid that he would have the same fate.
To avoid the emperor's suspicion and jealousy, Gao Changgong often pretended to be sick, staying away from wars and politics. No matter how low a profile he kept, the emperor still sent him a cup of poisonous wine one day in 573 A.D. Gao Changgong drank the wine and ended his life, probably in his early 30’s.
Four years after Gao Changgong's death, having lost one of its greatest generals, Northern Qi was destroyed by Northern Zhou. All the members of the Gao royal family were slaughtered ruthlessly.
Popular culture
Gao Changgong is one of the 32 historical figures who appear as special characters in the video game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI by Koei. His story is also dramatized in the 2013 television series Prince of Lan Ling[3] and 2016 television series Princese of Lanling King.[4]
References Section I
- "《蘭陵王入陣曲》 表現一個充滿戲劇張力的中國舞故事", Epochtimes
- Laurence Picken, ed. (1985). Music from the Tang Court: Volume 5. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–12. ISBN 978-0521347761.
- 林淑娟 (2013-09-04). "《蘭陵王》收視火 燒給楊登魁知". 中國時報.
- "Princess of Lanling King (2016)". rielbox.com. 2016-05-01.
- 《呂氏春秋·勿躬篇》 Original text: 高元作室。
- Tongzhi: 《通志·氏族略》 记载，春秋时，齐国公子高的孙子，开始以“高”为氏，称高。
- Fu Chinjiang (2007). Origins of Chinese Names. Asiapac Books. p. 58. ISBN 978-9812294623.