The Jian Clan#

Surname: Jian, pronounced as jiǎn

Distribution of the Jian Clan#

• Fanyang Commandery: During the Three Kingdoms period of the Wei dynasty, Zhuo Commandery was renamed Fanyang Commandery. This area corresponds to present-day Zhuo County in Hebei Province, as well as Changping County and Fangshan County in Beijing.
• Zhuo Commandery: In the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, it was known as Zhuoyi of the Yan state. During the Qin dynasty, it belonged to Shanggu Commandery. In the Han dynasty, Fanyang Commandery was established, which is the same as present-day Zhuo County in Hebei Province.

Origins of the Jian Clan#

The Jian surname has three possible origins:

1. From the Ji surname: Descendants of King Wen of Zhou, Ji Chang, adopted their posthumous title as their surname. During the Spring and Autumn period, there was a scholar named Hu Juju from the Jin state. His ancestor was Tang Shuyu, a son of King Wu of Zhou. Since Hu Juju once lived among the Quanrong tribe, he took the surname Hu. Hu Juju’s clansman, Hu Shegu, had a disagreement with the Grand Tutor Yang Chufu and assassinated him, resulting in his execution by Zhao Dun. Hu Juju’s fief was in Xu, and after his death, he was posthumously named Xu Jianzi, also known as Xu Jianbo. His descendants adopted his posthumous title as their surname.
2. From the Geng surname: This originated from Jian Yong of the Shu state during the Three Kingdoms period. Jian Yong’s original surname was Geng. In Youzhou, the pronunciation of “Geng” was the same as “Jian,” so he changed his surname to Jian.
3. From the Jian surname: During the Han dynasty, a military officer named Jian Qiming changed his surname to Jian to avoid certain taboos.

Ancestor of the Jian Clan: Xu Jianbo is considered the founder of the Jian clan. The origins of the Jian surname can be verified through various historical documents. According to the “Fanyang Jian Family Genealogy,” the ancestor is Hu Juju from the Jin state, who was posthumously named Xu Jianzi and known as Xu Jianbo. His descendants adopted his posthumous title as their surname. This information is also confirmed in the “Jian Clan Genealogy” by Ma Yangxi. Since both Jin and Zhou were descended from the Ji clan, the Jian clan can be considered a descendant of the Yellow Emperor. The Jian clan originated from Fanyang or Zhuo Commandery.

Migration and Distribution: The Jian surname does not rank among the top 100 most common surnames on the Chinese mainland but is ranked 32nd in Taiwan. The Jian clan originated from the Ji surname. During the Spring and Autumn period, some descendants of Jian Shu from the Lu state adopted his name as their surname. In the Eastern Han dynasty, a military officer named Jian Qiming changed his surname to Jian to avoid taboos.

The Jian clan has primarily settled in areas such as Fanyang (present-day Zhuo County, Hebei Province) and Zhuo Commandery. They have also migrated to other regions, with significant populations in Taiwan, Fujian, and Guangdong. Many members of the Jian clan in Taiwan migrated from Nanjing in the Song dynasty to avoid chaos.