日本新首相菅直人祖先可能是中国人

　　It could be a pure coincidence, but there is a chance that Japan's new prime minister Naoto Kan's ancestors might have come from China. Kan, pronounced “jian” in Mandarin, is a Chinese surname that finds its roots in Shandong Province。

　　It's well established that Japan is a melting pot of ethnicities from around Asia and Micronesia and even as far as Siberia. Japan's new prime minister, Naoto Kan, may be the latest reminder of this。

　　According to a Chinese dictionary of surnames, during the Spring and Autumn period in China (476-770 BC)， there was the 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 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 man hunt. After that incident, the nobleman's family started calling themselves Jian. Among notable Jians throughout China's history:

　　菅禹： Jian Yu, a renowned official during the Han Dynasty

　　菅崇嗣：Jian Congsi, a famous official during theTang Dynasty

　　菅怀礼： Jian Huaili, an administrative official in Hubei, Hunan and Guangxi provinces during the Ming Dynasty。

　　这可能纯属巧合，但也可能含义深远：日本新首相菅直人所姓的“菅”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。

　　据美国《华尔街日报》6月8日报道，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。日本首相菅直人可能就是日本民族发展历程的一个最新“写照”。

　　而据中国姓氏词典称，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。

　　互联网上还有其他说法。其中一个更像是“传奇故事”：春秋时期，一个贵族家庭触怒龙颜，逃避死刑判决的时候曾在一种名叫“菅”的灌木中藏身，惊险躲过了追捕。这个家族后来就以“菅”为姓。中国历史上的菅姓名人有：

　　菅禹，汉代的知名官员。

　　菅崇嗣，唐代的知名官员。

　　菅怀理，明代湖广布政使。