The Dong Clan#

Clan Name: Dong, Pronunciation: dǒng

Distribution of the Dong Clan#

• Longxi Commandery: Established in the 28th year of King Zhaoxiang of Qin during the Warring States period (279 BCE), with its administrative center at Didao (now south of Lintao, Gansu Province). During the Western Han Dynasty, its territory covered the middle reaches of the Tao River east of Dongxiang, Gansu; the upper reaches of the Wei River west of Wushan; the upper reaches of the Xihan River north of Lixian County; and the eastern part of Tianshan City. During the Three Kingdoms period, the Wei state moved the administrative center to Xiangwu (now southwest of Longxi, Gansu Province). In the Northern Wei Dynasty, its territory corresponded to the area around present-day Longxi County.
• Jiyin Commandery: Established in the 6th year of Emperor Jing of Han (144 BCE) from parts of the Liang state and later reorganized as a commandery, with its administrative center at Dingtao (now northwest of Dingtao County, Shandong Province). Its territory corresponded to the area around present-day Heze, Shandong Province, extending south to Dingtao and north to Pucheng.

Origins of the Dong Clan#

The Dong clan ranks 29th among the top 100 most common Chinese surnames in terms of population.

Origins of the Surname Dong: There are three theories regarding the origin of the Dong surname:

1. ** Derived from one's own family name:** According to sources such as "Yuanhe Xingzuan" and "Gujin Xingshì Shū Bianzhèn," Dongfu, a descendant of Emperor Zhuanxu, was skilled in taming dragons and highly regarded by Emperor Shun, who granted him the surname Dong. His descendants also adopted this surname.
2. ** Derived from an official title:** During the Zhou Dynasty, there was a high-ranking official named Xin You. One of his sons served as the Grand Historian of the Jin state, overseeing the state's historical records. His descendants inherited this official title and adopted it as their surname.
3. Other origins: According to the "Dongshi Shipu," Lu Zhong, a descendant of Emperor Zhuanxu, had a son named Canhu who also adopted the surname Dong. Additionally, the Dong surname is also found among the Korean ethnic group.

Ancestor of the Surname: Dongfu

After Emperor Zhuanxu, Liao Shu'an had a son named Dongfu, who had a deep understanding of dragon behavior. Emperor Shun appointed Dongfu to take care of the dragons. Under Dongfu's care, many dragons learned to perform dances. Shun was so pleased that he granted Dongfu the title of Marquis of Chuan (north of present-day Dingtao, Shandong Province) and the surname Dong. Dongfu is revered as the progenitor of the Dong clan.

Migration and Distribution: The Dong clan shares the same ancestral lineage, descending from Emperor Zhuanxu of the Gaoyang clan. According to historical records, the Dong clan originated in three areas: northern Dingtao, Shandong; southwestern Shanxi; and Pingyuan County, Shandong. During the Qin and Han dynasties, the Dong clan was concentrated in present-day Shanxi, Gansu, Hebei, and Henan. They also settled in Shaanxi, Dingtao and Gaoqing in Shandong, Guangzhou in Guangdong, Ziyang and Deyang in Sichuan, Yuyao and Zhejiang in Zhejiang, Xiangyang and Zhijiang in Hubei, and Fuzhou in Fujian. Over time, the Dong clan became prominent in Gansu and Shandong. During the social upheaval of the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, many members of the clan migrated to the south, settling in Anhui, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Hubei, and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The Tang Dynasty saw another period of significant population growth for the Dong clan, with migrations to Fujian and Guangdong. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the invasion of the Jin army and the Mongol forces prompted further migrations. By the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Dong clan was distributed across Taiwan, the Nanyang archipelago, Europe, and America. Today, the Dong clan is most concentrated in Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Yunnan, Liaoning, and Zhejiang. These provinces account for 31% of the total Dong clan population, with Hebei alone accounting for 11%. The Dong clan ranks 29th among the most common Chinese surnames, with a population of approximately 0.61% of the total Han population in China.

Hall Names of the Dong Clan:

• Zhibi Hall: During the Spring and Autumn period, Donghu was a historian in the Jin state who wrote historical records truthfully, regardless of power. After the assassination of Duke Ling of Jin, Donghu recorded in his books that "Zhao Dun assassinated his lord." Confucius praised him as a "virtuous historian."
• Other hall names include "Huanlong Hall," "Longxi Hall," "Zhengyi Hall," and "Sance Hall."

Notable individuals with the Dong surname:

• Dong Zhongshu: A philosopher of the Western Han Dynasty and a master of classical studies. He proposed the policy of "rejecting all other schools of thought and respecting only Confucianism," which was adopted by Emperor Wu of Han, laying the foundation for Confucianism as the orthodox ideology in Chinese society for over two thousand years. His teachings centered on Confucian patriarchal principles, incorporating elements of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements theory to form a feudal theological system.
• Dong Biwu: (1885