The Shu Clan#

Clan Name: Shu, pronounced as “shū”

Distribution of the Shu Clan#

• Xi’an City
• Pingxiang County, Hebei Province

Origins of the Shu Clan#

The name “Shu” has multiple origins:

1. Derived from the Ji clan, stemming from the descendants of the Qunshu state established by King Wu of Zhou in the early Western Zhou Dynasty; this is an example of a clan name derived from the name of a state.
2. Derived from the Ji clan, originating from the state of Ju during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods; this is an example of a clan name derived from the name of a settlement.
3. Derived from the Mongolian ethnic group, as a result of Hanization (the adoption of Chinese surnames).
4. Derived from the Manchu ethnic group, as a result of Hanization.
5. Derived from other ethnic minorities, as a result of Hanization.

Migration and Spread According to historical records, in 657 BCE, the state of Xu conquered the state of Shu, and in 552 BCE, the re-established state of Shu was once again conquered by the state of Chu. For a long time thereafter, the Shu clan centered its population around Lujiang, Anhui, which became the most prominent region of the Shu clan. Members of the Shu clan gradually migrated to the heartland of the Chu state, which is now the area of Hunan and Hubei. After Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the six states, his successor Liu Bang conquered the Shu state. During the Qin and Han dynasties, Chang’an (now Xi’an, Shaanxi) was the political, economic, and cultural center of China, and many Shu clan members moved there, where they flourished. Since this area was part of the Jingzhao commandery for a long time, later generations of the Shu clan adopted Jingzhao as their clan symbol. Most Shu clan members in the north originated from Jingzhao and eventually became one of the prominent clans in the north. During the Eastern Han dynasty, the Shu clan began to appear in historical records; for example, the righteous men Shu Shao and his brother were from Chenliu (now Kaifeng, Henan). During the Three Kingdoms period, a Shu clan member named Shu Xie migrated to the south of the Yangtze River. During the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, due to social unrest, many Shu clan members fled to the south and merged with those who had already lived there, making the Shu clan a prominent clan in the south. At this time, the Julu region of the north also became an important center of the Shu clan. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, more Shu clan members were recorded in historical documents. The An Lushan Rebellion and the Huang Chao uprising in the Tang dynasty further promoted the southward migration of the Shu clan. During the Song dynasties, the Shu clan became increasingly prevalent in historical records. Based on the origins of these famous individuals, it can be seen that the Shu clan spread to places such as Dongyang, Cixi, Yuyao, Fenghua, and Ninghai in Zhejiang; Jingde and Shenqiu in Anhui; and Ji'an and Jing’an in Jiangxi. During the Yuan dynasty, Shu clan members were found in Fujian, Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, and other southern regions. In the early Ming dynasty, the Shu clan from Shanxi, as part of the large-scale migration from Hongtong, was relocated to Hubei, Jiangsu, Anhui, Henan, Shandong, and other places. By the mid-Qing dynasty, the Shu clan was distributed even more widely, with some members even migrating overseas to Taiwan. Today, the Shu clan is widely distributed across China, with the largest populations in Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Hubei; these four provinces account for approximately 83% of the total Han Chinese Shu clan population. The Shu clan ranks 147th among Chinese surnames in popularity, with a population of about 0.076% of the total Han Chinese population.

Famous People with the Shu Surname#

• Lao She (1899–1966): A modern and contemporary writer. His original name was Shu Qingchun, with the courtesy name Sheyu. He also used pen names such as Xu Qing, Hong Lai, and Fei Wo. Lao She wrote approximately 8 million words in his lifetime. His major works include novels like “Lao Zhang’s Philosophy,” “Zhao Zi Yue,” “Er Ma,” “Cat City,” “Divorce,” “The Story of Niu Tianci,” “Dr. Wen,” “Rickshaw Boy,” “Cremation,” “Four Generations Under One Roof,” “The Drum Book Artist,” and “Under the Red Flag” (incomplete); short story collections such as “Crescent Moon,” “My Life”; and plays like “Dragon Beard Ditch” and “Teahouse.” His works have been compiled in various collections, including “The Complete Works of Lao She,” “Lao She’s Prose,” “Lao She’s Poetry,” and “Lao She’s Literary Criticism.”