William Chuang
Graduate Student, University of Arizona
E-mail: williamchuang (at) arizona (dot) edu
Pronouns: he/him
I enjoy hiking and painting (including oil painting), and I am also deeply curious about neuroscience, psychology, and classical studies. I am particularly fascinated by innovative strategies for designing and coding neural network models—especially those that can recursively design, implement, and train new, evolved networks based on a parent model’s best configuration. In addition, I love exploring how, when, and what we learn to accomplish a chosen mission along all possible paths, ultimately working toward a comprehensive “user manual” for the human mind.
Additionally, here is my YouTube channel, where I plan to share worked-through math problems regularly: @william_chuang
You can find some of my older math notes here:
My old notes
More About Me Before 2015
Detailed Records Prior to 2014
The Genealogy of the Chuang Family (also spelled Cheung, Chong, etc.)
According to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, there are an estimated 2,931 individuals in the United States with the surname Chuang, ranking it 11,621st in prevalence, at 0.92 per 100,000 people. In East Asia, the name Chuang remains relatively rare; it ranks 323rd in the Song Dynasty’s “Hundred Surnames.” As a result, many individuals with the surname Chuang are unfamiliar with their lineage beyond three generations and may even feel like outsiders to the larger clan.
Historical data indicates that fewer than 50,000 people (around 0.06% of the total population) bore the surname Chuang during the Song Dynasty, with Fujian hosting the highest concentration. By the Ming Dynasty, approximately 120,000 people (about 0.12% of the total population) carried this surname. Today, the name is most commonly found in Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Shanghai, and Liaoning.
My mother was born in Wucuo (now Erlun) in Yunlin County, and my father was born in Erlin Township—once known as Gielem (a region known for deer) to the Dutch. I was born in New Taipei City, Taiwan, in 1988. Based on my grandparents’ family records, I am the 20th generation of the Chuang family to settle in Taiwan after our ancestors first arrived in the 1600s, following the Dutch occupation. This migration reminds me of the Mayflower pilgrims who arrived in the Americas around the same time—my ancestors similarly ventured forth in pursuit of freedom and opportunity.
A more recent notable figure in the Chuang family is Zhuang Yunkuan (also known as Yunkuan Chuang), who served as both a Qing Dynasty and Republic of China politician, as well as a Chinese calligrapher. He was a delegate in drafting the Republic of China’s provisional constitution and, in 1925, joined the board of directors of the National Palace Museum.
There is also a branch of the Chuang family in Guangdong and Hong Kong. Among its most well-known members are Cheung Jing-on, his daughter Chong Yuet-ming, and his nephew.