The Shao Clan#

Clan Name: Shao, pronounced as “sháo”

Distribution of the Shao Clan#

The ancestral home of the Shao clan is Taiyuan Commandery, which was established by the Qin dynasty during the Warring States period. The administrative center of Taiyuan Commandery was Jinyang, located in the southwest of present-day Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province.

Origin of the Shao Clan#

There are two theories regarding the origin of the Shao surname:

1. The Shao surname originates from the You clan, which took the name of a musical composition. In ancient times, when Shun was the leader of a tribe, one of his musicians composed a piece of music called “Shao.” This music was so beautiful that it is mentioned in the “Analects of Confucius,” which states that Confucius, after listening to it in the state of Qi, did not taste meat for three months. The descendants of this musician adopted the name of the composition as their clan name. This prominent clan lived in Taiyuan Commandery, which is today’s Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province.

2. Another theory suggests that the surname originated in Shaozhou, in northern Guangdong, taking the name of the region as their surname. Since the Sui dynasty, the areas of Qujiang, Lechang, Renhua, Ruyuan, Wengyuan, and Yingde in Guangdong Province have been known as Shaozhou. According to the “Huan Yu Ji,” the name Shaozhou comes from the “Shao stones”—a group of peculiarly shaped giant rocks located in the northern part of Qujiang County, Guangdong Province. More than 4,000 years ago, the sage Emperor Shun visited this place during his southern tour and performed the music “Shao” there, hence the name. The local inhabitants adopted the name of the region as their clan name.

Migration and Distribution

The Shao clan is not among the top 100 most common surnames in mainland China or Taiwan. In ancient times, Emperor Shun was a famous tribal leader, and one of his people composed the music “Shao,” which was extremely beautiful. This music was passed down through the generations and could still be performed during the Spring and Autumn period. When Confucius visited the state of Qi, he was so captivated by the music that he did not taste meat for three months. The descendants of the musician who composed “Shao” took pride in this piece and adopted it as their surname, marking the earliest origin of the Shao clan. There is also another branch of the Shao clan that took the name of a region as their surname. As stated in the “Xing Yuan,” the surname “Shao” exists in Kaifeng, with its ancestral home being Taiyuan. In ancient times, there was a region called Shaozhou, roughly corresponding to the area around present-day Kaifeng, Henan Province. The people there adopted the name of their residence as their surname, which is another origin of the Shao clan.

Hall Names

The main hall names of the Shao clan include “Taiyuan Hall,” among others.