The Lü Clan#

Clan Name: Lü, Pronunciation: lǚ

Distribution of the Lü Clan#

Hedong Commandery: Hedong Commandery was established during the Qin Dynasty. Its administrative center was in Anyi (now in the northwest of Xia County, Shanxi Province), governing the southwestern region of Jin. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it was located in Puban (now Puzhou Town, Yongji, Shanxi Province, which was the time when Liu Yu overthrew the Later Qin). In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it was known as Puzhou Hedong Commandery. The Sui Dynasty also created Hedong County, with Puban as its administrative center. During the Ming Dynasty, Hedong County was merged into Puzhou.

Huainan Commandery: The state of Huainan was established during the Han Dynasty, with its capital in Lu'an (now in northern Anhui Province), later moved to Shouchun (now in Shou County). The Wei Dynasty also established the state of Huainan, whose territory included the areas south of the Huai River in Anhui Province. The Sui Dynasty used Shouchun as the capital of Huainan Commandery (which became Shouchun Huainan Commandery during the Tang Dynasty).

Dongping Commandery: The state of Dongping existed during the Han Dynasty and was later turned into a commandery during the Southern Dynasties, with its capital in Wuyan (now in eastern Dongping, Shandong Province). During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Yuzhou was used as the capital of Dongping Commandery, with Xuchang as its administrative center (now in eastern Dongping). In the Song Dynasty, Yuzhou was renamed Dongping Prefecture, with Xuchang as its capital (still in Dongping). During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it was a prefecture; during the Republic of China, it was reorganized into a county.

Jinhua Commandery: At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang took control of Wuzhou Road and renamed it Ningyue Prefecture, which was later changed to Jinhua Prefecture, with its capital in Jinhua (now in Zhejiang Province). The prefecture was abolished during the Republic of China.

Jinjiang Commandery: In the sixth year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (718 AD), Jinjiang County was established from parts of Nan'an County. The administrative center of both Jinhua and Jinjiang Commanderies was the same place. At that time, Quanzhou governed five counties: Jinjiang, Nan'an, Putian, Longxi, and Qingyuan (now in Xianyou County). The administrative center was located along the southeastern coast of Fujian Province, downstream of the Jinjiang River.

Origins of the Lü Clan#

The Lü surname has the following origins:

1. From the Jiang surname: The Lü clan originated from the Jiang family, with their ancestor being Marquis Lü, also known as Jiang Ziya. It is said that the ancient tribal leader, Emperor Shennong, resided in the area around the Jiang River and thus adopted the Jiang surname. Later, the Jiang people branched out into four tribes, one of which was the Lü tribe. The leader of this tribe was granted the title of Marquis Lü during the Xia Dynasty and established the state of Lü (in present-day Nanyang, Henan Province). The state of Lü was destroyed by the state of Chu during the Spring and Autumn period, and its descendants adopted the Lü surname as their clan name. Another Lü state existed in present-day Xincai, Henan Province, during the Wei Dynasty; this branch later became the Donglu state, which was also destroyed by the Song Dynasty, and its descendants continued to use the Lü surname.

2. From the Wei surname: During the Spring and Autumn period, the Lü clan emerged from the Wei family.

3. From ethnic minorities adopting the Lü surname: During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, after Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang, he promoted Sinicization. The original Xianbei tribes, such as the Chilü and Chiqiu tribes, changed their names to the Chinese character-based Lü surname. During the Five Dynasties and the Later Zhou Dynasty, other tribes with three-character names were also changed to the single-character Lü surname.

Ancestral Figures#

The legendary figure Bo Yi is considered the ancestor of the Lü clan. Emperor Shennong, the leader of the ancient Chinese tribes, resided in the Jiang River area and adopted the Jiang surname. His descendants later moved to the Central Plains and mixed with the Yellow Emperor's tribes, branching out into four tribes. Bo Yi assisted Emperor Yao in governing the four mountains and later helped Yu in controlling the floods, earning him the title of "Lü Hou" (a trusted minister). After the state of Lü was destroyed by the Chu Dynasty, its descendants adopted the Lü surname.

Migration and Distribution#

The Lü clan has migrated frequently and is widely distributed. After the fall of the Nanyang Lü state, some of its inhabitants moved to present-day Qichun, Hubei. After the fall of the Xincai Lü state, its descendants settled in southern Henan and northern Anhui. The Lü clan from the state of Qi had already dispersed among the Han, Wei, Qi, and Lu states before the state's collapse, with some descendants thriving in Shaanxi and Gansu. During the Han Dynasty, the Lü clan was also found in present-day Hebei, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Lü Fan from Xiyang fled to Shouchun (now in Shou County, Anhui). During the Three Kingdoms period, Lü Kai from Shu Han and Lü Qian from Wei both had descendants who moved to Hedong (now in southwestern Yongji, Shanxi). During the Northern and Southern