Ji Family Name#

Family Name: Ji, Pronunciation: jí

Distribution of the Ji Family Name#

The Ji family name is found in the areas south of Hancheng in Shaanxi Province, east of Baishui, north of the Wei River, and in Luoyang City, Henan Province.

Origin of the Ji Family Name#

The origin of the "Ji" family name can be traced to the following two sources:

1. It originated from a change from another family name. The "??" family name is one of the oldest in China. According to the "Tang Shu: Zai Xiang Shi Xi Table," there was a descendant of the ancient Yellow Emperor named Bo?? who was granted the fief of Nanyan State (located in the northeast of present-day Yanjin County, Henan Province) and was given the surname ??. Later, his descendants removed the female character from the surname, resulting in the Ji family name, which has been passed down through generations.

2. It also originated from the Ji family name, where the ancestral character was adopted as the family name. According to the "Yuan He Xing Zuan," during the ancient Zhou Dynasty, there was a virtuous minister named Yin Jifu, and his descendants adopted the ancestral character as their family name, also passing it down through generations.

Founder of the Ji Family Name#

The founder of the Ji family name is Bo??. Ancient texts also reflect the relatively minor status of the Nanyan State. The lineage of the Nanyan State rulers, from Duke Zhao#93; to Marquis Hui of Nanyan, includes nine unnamed rulers. Records of Nanyan State events only appear more than a hundred years after the Spring and Autumn period, with the first significant event being the Qi state's attack on the Shanrong tribes through Nanyan, and the second being the flight of the ruler to the Qi state, both recorded by Qi state historians. At that time, there was also a Nanyan state with the "??" family name in present-day Jixian, Henan, with the founding ruler being Bo??, who was granted the surname ??. The "Zuo Zhuan" refers to this state as Nanyan and another as Beiyan, with Nanyan's history being more frequently documented than Beiyan's.

Migration and Distribution#

The Ji family name has a long history of over five thousand years. In ancient times, the Ji and ?? families were distributed across different regions, with both nomadic and agricultural tribes among them. For example, the "Ji Guang" tribe, known for taming horses and making chariots and boats, and the "Yong" tribe, known for making mortars and pounding instruments, were typical examples of nomadic and agricultural groups. In addition to the Central Plains, the "Ji Yi" tribe was also found in the Eastern Yi tribal groups, such as Yin Jifu, who taught archery during the early Xia Dynasty. After the Qin Dynasty, the "??" family name was gradually replaced by the "Ji" family name, with many original "??" descendants adopting either "Ji" or other surnames such as Yan, Xu, Yong, E, Kan, Guang, Yang, Kong, Yin, Cai, and Lu. During the Han and Tang dynasties, the Ji family became prevalent in Shaanxi, Henan, Shanxi, and other regions, giving rise to prominent Ji-related clans like Fengyi and Luoyang. After the long periods of war during the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Ji family migrated to Hebei, Jiangsu, Shandong, Anhui, and other places. During the Five Dynasties, Song, and Yuan periods, Ji people from the Central Plains moved to southern regions due to wars and other reasons, settling in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and other areas. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Ji people from Shanxi migrated to Shaanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, and other places. During the Qing Dynasty, some Manchu people adopted the Ji surname, adding new members to the Ji family group. After the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong reigns, some Ji people from Hebei and Shandong settled in the Northeast. During the Taiping Rebellion, some Ji people from the Jiangnan region fled to the north to avoid the conflict. Today, the Ji family name is widely distributed across China, with members belonging to various ethnic groups including Han, Manchu, Li, Tujia, Mongol, Yi, Hui, Tibetan, Kazakh, and Korean.

Notable People with the Ji Family Name#

Ji Hongchang (1895-1934): From Lutan Town, Fugou County, Henan Province, he was a famous anti-Japanese general. He joined the army early in his life and held positions such as brigade commander, division commander, army commander, and chairman of the Ningxia provincial government. After the central China conflict between Chiang Kai-shek, Feng Yuxiang, and Yan Xishan in 1930, he became the deputy commander of the Nationalist Second Army. In 1931, he opposed Chiang's anti-communist policies and was forced to flee the country. He returned to China in 1932 and joined the Communist Party in the same year. In 1933, he formed the Chasui People's Anti-Japanese Alliance with Feng Yuxiang and Fang Zhenwu, serving as the commander of the second army and the front-line commander of the northern forces. After the alliance's defeat, he continued his anti-Japanese activities in Beiping and Tianjin. He was arrested at the National Hotel in the French Concession of Tianjin on November 19, 1934, and sacrificed his life bravely in Beiping (present-day Beijing) at the age of 39.