The Shen Clan#

Surname: Shen, pronounced as “shěn”

Regions where the Shen Clan is Found#

• Wuxing Commandery: Established during the Three Kingdoms period, its administrative center was Wucheng (located south of present-day Wuxing, Zhejiang; it was later moved to its current location at the beginning of the Jin Dynasty’s Yixi era). This region corresponds to the area surrounding Lin'an, Yuhang, and Deqing in Zhejiang Province, as well as part of Yixing County in Jiangsu Province.
• Runan Commandery: Established during the reign of Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty, with its administrative center in Shangcai (southwest of present-day Shangcai, Henan Province). It encompasses the area between the Ying River and Huai River in Henan Province, to the east of the Jingguang Railway, and to the west of the Ci River and Xifei River in Anhui Province, as well as to the north of the Huai River.

Origins of the Shen Clan#

The origin of the “Shen” surname can be traced to the following:

1. Derived from the Ji surname: The Shen clan adopted the name of an ancient state as their surname and is descended from the Yellow Emperor. Shen was originally the name of an ancient state that was granted to the descendants of Yu the Great during the Xia Dynasty. At the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, after King Wu’s death, the young King Cheng ascended the throne, and the Duke of Zhou (the fourth son of King Wen) acted as regent. Three high-ranking officials rebelled against King Cheng in collusion with Wu Geng (the son of King Zhou of Shang) and allied with the Eastern Yi tribes. The rebellion was eventually suppressed by the Duke of Zhou. Ji Zai (the tenth son of King Wen), due to his contributions in quelling the rebellion, was appointed as the Grand Minister of Works by the Duke of Zhou. Later, King Cheng granted Ji Zai the fief of Shen, also known as Dan. In ancient times, the names “Ran” and “Shen” had the same pronunciation. During the Spring and Autumn period, the state of Shen was conquered by the state of Cai, and Ji Zai’s descendants adopted the name of the conquered state as their surname.
2. Derived from the Mi surname: Descendants of Emperor Zhuanxu, a member of the Shao Hao clan, adopted the name of their fief during the Spring and Autumn period. Prince Zhen, a son of King Zhuang of Chu, was granted the fief of Shen, and his descendants took the name of the fief as their surname.
3. Derived from the Shaohao Jintian clan: Descendants of the Shaohao Jintian clan established the state of Shen during the Spring and Autumn period, which was later conquered by the state of Jin. Their descendants then took the name of the state as their surname.

Spread of the Shen Clan

The Shen clan originated in the area between Henan and Anhui provinces. After the state of Shen was conquered by the state of Cai during the Spring and Autumn period, Ji Zai’s descendant Zicheng fled to the state of Chu. Zicheng’s grandson, Shen Yin Xu, initially lived in seclusion on Lingshan Mountain before serving as the Left Minister of Chu. Yin Xu’s son, Shen Zhuliang, held the position of Minister of Works hereditarily and received lands in Ye (present-day Ye County, Henan Province). During the Qin Dynasty, Shen Ping, a descendant of Zicheng, was granted the title of Marquis of Zhuyi (present-day Fuli Ji, Anhui Province). Shen Ping’s son, Shen Zun, moved to Shouchun in Jiujiang (present-day Shou County, Anhui Province). During the Eastern Han Dynasty, a family named Shen Rong migrated to Wuxing in Kuaiji (present-day Wuxing County, Zhejiang Province), marking the beginning of the clan’s southward expansion. The Shen clan underwent a significant southward migration during the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties. By the Tang Dynasty, they were distributed throughout Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, and other regions.

In the early Tang Dynasty, some Shen clan members from the Central Plains followed generals Chen Zheng and Chen Yuanguang to Fujian, where they settled and established families in Longxi, Zhangpu, Nanjing, Changtai, Zhaoan, and other places. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Wang Chao and Wang Shenzi brothers also migrated to Fujian with members of the Shen clan. In the early Southern Song Dynasty, a person named Shen Qicheng from Wuxing served as the governor of Tingzhou. His son, Shen Tingfu, followed his father to Fujian and later settled in Jianyang County. Shen Tingfu had eight sons who settled in Ninghua, Longyan, Changting, Qingliu, Yanping, Liancheng, and other places; some of their descendants later moved to Dapu and Meizhou in Guangdong. During the late Ming Dynasty, Shen Si'an moved to Shanhua Town in present-day Tainan County, marking the beginning of the clan’s migration to Taiwan. During the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing Dynasty, many members of the Shen clan from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou in Fujian and Guangdong migrated to Taiwan, and some even went overseas.

Hall Names (Tanghao):

• Wuxing Hall: From the Eastern Han to the Sui Dynasty, most prominent Shen clan members originated from Wukang in Wuxing (present-day Wukang Town, Deqing County, Zhejiang Province). Therefore, the descendants of the Shen clan use “Wuxing” as their hall name.
• Mengxi Hall: During the Song Dynasty, Shen Kuo was a learned and talented individual who held various official positions, including Hanlin Academician and Minister of Works. He was well-versed