Tang of Shang
Zhōng (鍾/钟) is the 56th-most-common last name in China. People surnamed Zhong are the descendants of Tang of Shang, the first king of the Shang dynasty. During the Zhou Dynasty, a descendant of Tang of Shang, Wei Zi Qi was made the duke of Song (south of Shangqiu, Henan). A few generations later, Song Heng Gong had a son called Ao. Ao had a grandson Bo Zhong, who was a judge in the Jin kingdom. Bo pleaded for the duke of Jin to repent from his unrighteousness and was executed. His son Zhou Li fled to the kingdom of Chu and became the prime minister. He was awarded the land of (northeast of Fengyang, Anhui), and his descendants were known as the Zhonglis. Among them, Zhongli Mei was a general under Xiang Yu. After Xiang Yu was defeated by Liu Bang, Zhongli Mei committed suicide. Mei's son, Jie, fled to Zhangge, Henan, and changed his last name to Zhong. Zhong Jie can be considered as the forefather of the Zhong family.