The Gu Clan#

Surname: Gu, pronounced as “gǔ”.

Distribution of the Gu Clan#

The Gu clan originated from the Shanggu Commandery, which was established after the Qin state conquered the Zhao state in 222 BCE. This region corresponds to the northwest part of present-day Hebei Province, with its administrative center located in the southeastern part of present-day Huailai County, Hebei Province.

Origins of the Gu Clan#

The origin of the “Gu” surname can be traced to several sources:

1. From the Ying surname: The name “Gu” was derived from a place name. According to the “Tongzhi·Shizhu Lue” and the “Gu Lang Stele Inscription,” Feizi, a prophet from the Qin people, lived in Qin Gu (located in the southwest of present-day Tianshui City, Gansu Province). His descendants split into two branches: one became the Qin surname, and the other became the Gu surname.
2. From the Xianbei tribe: The Xianbei tribe had a compound surname, Gu Hui. After moving into the Central Plains, they adopted the Han surname Gu.
3. During the Tang Dynasty: There was a person named Gu Nali, known as the “Master of the Nine Classics.” He was originally from the Dongyi people and had the compound surname Gu Na. His descendants all changed to the single surname Gu.
4. **According to the “Shu Pu,” in ancient times, there was a surname Qi; by removing the prefix and simplifying the characters, it became the “Gu” surname.

Ancestor of the Surname:
Bo Yi is considered the ancestor of the Gu clan. Also known as Bo Yi or Da Fei, he was a descendant of Zhuanxu and the father of Gao Tao, a leader of the Dongyi people during the Xia Dynasty. Bo Yi was skilled in animal husbandry and hunting. During the reign of Shun, he was appointed as the official in charge of mountains and marshes. He later assisted Yu in controlling floods and was granted the Ying surname for his contributions. After Yu’s death, Bo Yi was chosen as his successor but was killed in a power struggle by Qi. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, one of Bo Yi’s descendants, Feizi, was skilled in horse breeding and was granted land in the Qin region (norththeast of present-day Qingshui, Gansu Province). Since the place where Feizi first lived was called Qin Gu, one of his descendants adopted this place name as their surname.

Hall Names of the Clan:
The main hall names of the Gu clan include “Enwei Hall” (Hall of Grace and Authority), “Jingku Hall” (Hall of the Classics), “Shanggu Hall,” and “Zhuyi Hall.”

Migration and Spread:
The Gu clan originated in the Shaanxi-Gansu region. After acquiring the surname, they primarily thrived in the Guanzhong area. After the Qin unified China, the Qin dynasty fell to the Han dynasty, which established its capital in Chang’an (present-day Xi’an, Shaanxi Province), becoming the political, economic, and cultural center of the country. Many people with the Gu surname moved to Chang’an due to official positions, educational pursuits, or other reasons. During the Han dynasty, the Gu clan also spread to other regions, including Shanxi, Hebei, and Henan in the north, as well as Hunan, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang in the south. In the Western Han Dynasty, Gu Ji and Gu Yong were from Chang’an; Gu Chun was from Fengyi (present-day Dali, Shaanxi Province). During the reign of Emperor Wang Mang, there was Gu Gong from Chang’an who served as an official in Tianshui. During the reign of Emperor Guangwu, there was Gu Chong from Shanggu (Huailai, Hebei Province). During the Eastern Han Dynasty, a filial son named Gu Lang from Leiyang, Hunan, became a high-ranking official. During the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Gu clan mainly spread to the north, especially in the Huailai area of Hebei, where they thrived due to the relatively peaceful environment. Notable individuals from this period include Gu Li from the state of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, Gu Jian from Guiyang, Hunan, and three members of the Gu family from Changli (present-day Yixian, Liaoning Province) during the Northern Wei Dynasty. The Gu Hun family from Changli was particularly prominent, with three generations—Gu Chan, Gu Hong, and Gu Kai—reaching high positions in the Northern Wei Dynasty.

After the Song Dynasty’s Jingkang Incident, many Gu people migrated south. At the end of the Song dynasty, due to the Mongol invasions, Gu people from Jiangsu and Zhejiang dispersed. During the Ming dynasty, the Gu clan from Shanxi was relocated to Shaanxi, Gansu, Hebei, and Henan. In the mid-Ming dynasty, the Gu clan became particularly prominent in Jiangsu. During the Qing dynasty, the Gu clan from Hebei, Shandong, and Henan further spread to other regions.