History of the Lien name (Lian in Mandarin; pronounced “lean” in English)

Setup: The Ming Dynasty’s First Emperor, Hongwu (Emperor 1368-1398), executed 30,000 people when he suspected Chancellor Hu of conspiracy; another 15,000 were killed when army general Yu simply communicated with a Mongol chief.   There were many other examples of Hongwu’s reign being one of extreme violence and brutality.  Frankly, what could you expect from the dynasty  which displaced the Yuan Dynasty (started by Genghis Khan and who by conquest created the largest contiguous empire in history).

When Hongwu’s fourth son, Yongle (Emperor 1403-1424), usurped Hongwu’s chosen successor and grandson Jianwen (Emperor 1399-1402), to become the Third Ming Emperor, many of Jianwen’s ministers (handpicked by Hongwu) continued their support of Jianwen. 

Fang, Chi, Huang, and Lien (whose position was roughly the equivalent to the FBI Director and the US Attorney General) were the foremost among these ministers.  When Yongle demanded a statement of support, Lien and the others refused and publicly opposed him.  Upon his victory, Yongle executed the four ministers (Four Martyrs) and thousands of people related to them.  Lien’s body was dismembered and the heads of 151 Lien family members publicly displayed as a warning to all.  Oddly enough, Yongle is now known as the greatest of the Ming emperors.

Those Liens not caught went underground and the family name ceased to exist publicly until the Qing Dynasty’s Emperor Chien Lung ordered the Ming advisors be honored for their loyalty to their Emperor as national heroes.