The Sha Clan#

Clan Name: Sha, pronounced as “shā”

Distribution of the Sha Clan#

The prominent families of the Sha clan are located in Dongguan (now Yishui, Shandong) and Runan (about 60 miles southeast of present-day Runan, Henan).

Origins of the Sha Clan#

There are several theories regarding the origins of the Sha clan:

1. Descendants of the Tangwang (King Tang): During the late Shang Dynasty, Kai (also known as Qi), a cousin of King Zhou of Shang, was granted the fief of Wei and was known as Weizi. After King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang Dynasty, he enfeoffed Weizi in Shangqiu, where the State of Song was established. Some of Weizi’s descendants moved to live in Shaqiu (east of Daming County, Hebei), and they took the place name “Shaqiu” as their clan name, considering Weizi as the progenitor of the Sha clan.
2. Descendants of Shennong: Shennong was a tribal leader who had a minister named Feng, who helped him identify and plant various crops. Feng’s descendants took his name “Feng” as their clan name, which later evolved into “Sha.”
3. From a Kingdom Named Sha: During the Western Zhou Dynasty, there was a kingdom called Sha Hou, located in present-day She County, Hebei. The name “She County” originated from this kingdom.
4. From the Sha Sui Clan: This was an ancient noble clan. When a member of this clan lost their kingdom or title, they became known as the “Gong Sha” or “Sha Sui” clan. According to “Xin Cuan Shi Zu Jian Shi,” the Sha clan originated from the Sha Sui clan, which was later simplified to “Sha.”
5. Migration from the Bai Luo Kingdom: In ancient times, people from the Bai Luo Kingdom (in present-day Korea) migrated and settled in China. One of the tribes was called the Sha Zha clan; after being Sinicized, they adopted the name “Sha” as their clan name.
6. **The Sha clan is also one of the “Thirteen Major Clans of the Hui People.” The Sha clan is a significant clan among the Hui people. As mentioned in “Qian Jia Xing,” many Hui people have this surname, which often derives from the first and last characters of their religious names. For example, in the early Yuan Dynasty, a person named Sha Quan’s father had the name “Sha De,” and he lived in the desert. Sha Quan’s original name was Chao Er Chi; at the age of five, he was captured by the Song army. At eighteen, he served under Liu Zheng, and the Song people gave him the surname “Sha” in honor of his father’s name.
7. Historical Evidence: The Bai Luo Kingdom (in present-day Korea) also had people with the Sha surname who migrated to China.

Additionally, the Sha clan is one of the “Thirteen Major Clans of the Hui People.” The Sha clan has a long history within the Hui community. Some Hui surnames are derived from religious names, such as Ma He Ma Sha, Aslan Sha, and Mu Ba Er Sha.

The Sha clan is widely distributed in the northwest and Jiangsu-Zhejiang regions of China. Prominent families of the Sha clan are found in Dongguan (Yishui, Shandong) and Runan (about 60 miles southeast of present-day Runan, Henan).

According to “Bai Jia Xing,” the Sha clan originated from Runan. “Shi Xing Kao Lue” also mentions that the Sha clan emerged in Dongguan and Runan. Runan County was established by Emperor Gao of Han and corresponds to the central part of present-day Henan Province, including Shangcai County. Dongguan County was established in the first year of the Taishi era of Emperor Wu of Jin (265 AD) and corresponds to the Yishui area of present-day Shandong Province.

Hall Names and Clan Traditions:

• Runan Hall: The Sha clan in this area still uses the phrase “Runan’s heritage, Dongguan’s reputation” as a motto.
• Ji Min Hall: During the Ming Dynasty, a local official named Sha Yu, concerned about the lack of fixed property among the common people, organized a banquet with wealthy farmers. He helped them obtain loans to buy farming tools and urged them to cultivate crops for emergency use. As a result, no family in She County went hungry. When the crops were ripe, he personally supervised the harvest. Before the harvest was completed, a plague of locusts struck, but the crops in She County were spared.