The Xi Family#

Surname: Xi (pronounced: xī)

Regions Where the Xi Family is Found#

• Shanyang Commandery: During the Western Han Dynasty, Shanyang Commandery was located around present-day Jinxian County, near Dushan Lake in Shandong Province. During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it was in the area of present-day Qingjiang and Huai'an in Jiangsu Province.
• Gaoping Commandery: In the Western Jin Dynasty, the original Shanyang Commandery from the Han Dynasty was renamed Gaoping Commandery. Its administrative center was Changyi, which is in the vicinity of present-day Juye County, Shandong Province.

Origin of the Xi Surname#

The Xi surname originates from the Ji clan, descendants of the Yellow Emperor. One of the sons of the Yellow Emperor was Xuanyao, whose descendant, Su Fensheng, served as the Minister of Justice during the reign of King Wu of Zhou. Su Fensheng was known for his integrity and fairness. A branch of Su Fensheng's descendants was granted the fief of Xi (present-day Qinyang County, Henan Province), and they adopted the name of their fief as their surname.

Hall Names (Tanghao):

• Wencheng Hall: During the Jin Dynasty, there was a person named Xi Jian who was well-versed in the classics and preferred farming and composing poetry rather than accepting imperial summons. Later, he was appointed General of the Western Peace and then promoted to General of the Chariots and Cavalry. Before the emperor's death, he was entrusted with the task of assisting the young emperor. To protect the new emperor, he resolved a significant crisis and was promoted to Grand Marshal, receiving the title of Duke of Nanchang. After his death, he was posthumously honored with the title Wencheng.

Migration and Spread

The Xi family branch off from the Su family approximately 2000 years ago. According to the “Yuanhe Xing Zuan,” the Xi surname traces back to the Ji clan and is a descendant of the Gaoyang clan. A descendant of Su Fensheng was granted the fief of Xi, and his descendants adopted this as their surname, with their prominent lineage originating from Gaoping. Another source, “Lu Shi,” states that a son of the Su family was granted the fief of Xi and thus adopted the surname Xi. During the Zhou Dynasty, the location of Xi was in present-day Qinyang County, Henan Province. The Xi family's ancestral home is in Qinyang; however, they later thrived as a prominent clan in Gaoping, Shandong. Relatively few members of the Xi family remained in their ancestral homeland in Henan. The prominent Xi clan lived in Gaoping Commandery, which is now in the northwest of Jinxian County, Shandong Province. Today, the Xi surname does not rank among the top 100 most common surnames in mainland China or Taiwan.