The Xie Clan#

Surname: Xie (解), pronounced as “xiè”

Distribution of the Xie Clan#

Southwest of Linfen County, Shanxi Province

Origin of the Xie Clan#

The origin of the Xie surname can be traced to three sources:

1. From the Ji surname: The surname was derived from the name of a place where people gathered food and resources. During the early Western Zhou Dynasty, Tang Shuyu, a son of King Wu of Zhou, had a son named Liang who was granted the fief of Xie. Liang lived and gathered resources in this area, which is why he was called Liang Xie. His descendants adopted the name of this place as their surname, forming the Xie clan.

2. From ancient place names: According to the “Xing Shi Ji Jiu Pian·Zhu” (A Compendium of Surnames with Explanations), Xie is a place name located in Hedong. People living in this area took the name of the place as their surname, which is why there were many Xie clans in the Jin state.

3. From compound surnames becoming single surnames: During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there was a compound surname called Xie Bi (or Xie Pi), which is said to have descended from the followers of Emperor Yan. This surname was later simplified to the single surname Xie.

Distribution and Migration

The Xie clan has not made it into the top 100 most common surnames in either mainland China or Taiwan. It originates from the Ji surname. In ancient times, during the Zhou Dynasty, King Wu of Zhou had a son named Tang Shuyu, who was the brother of King Cheng of Zhou. One of Tang Shuyu’s sons, named Liang, was granted the fief of Xie (in present-day Xie County, Shanxi Province), and thus became known as Liang Xie. His descendants settled in Xie and adopted the name as their surname. Prominent families of the Xie clan lived in Pingyang (present-day Linfen County, Shanxi Province) and Yanmen (present-day Dai County, Shanxi Province). According to population statistics in Shanxi Province, the Xie clan ranks 92nd in terms of popularity.

Notable People with the Xie Surname

• Xie Jin: A scholar from the Ming Dynasty who served as a Hanlin Bachelor and a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. He wrote lengthy memorials addressing current political issues, which impressed the emperor, leading to his promotion to the position of Censor. In the early Yongle period, he became a Hanlin Bachelor and compiled the “Yongle Encyclopedia,” one of the most comprehensive encyclopedias in the world. He also authored the “Wen Yi Ji” (Collected Works of Wen Yi).

• Xie Xuelong: Also known as Yan Qing (1582–1645) and styled Shifan. He passed the imperial examinations in the 41st year of the Wanli reign (1613) and held various positions, including Grand Guardian of the Crown Prince and Deputy Censor of the Censorate. He opposed the tyranny of Wei Zhongxian and supported the policies of the Donglin faction. During the Southern Ming Dynasty, he served as the Minister of Justice. When Nanjing fell on the 9th day of the fifth month of the first year of the Hongguang reign (1645), he drowned himself in the river to preserve his country. His works include “Wu Yuan Jian Cao” (Memorials on Admonition), “Fu Jiang Zou Du” (Memorials on Governing the Jiang Region), and “Yong Bing Ji” (Records on Military Strategy).