The Gu Family#

Surname: Gu, pronounced as “gù”

Distribution of the Gu Family#

The Gu family is predominantly found in the southern part of Xupu County, Hunan Province.

Origin of the Gu Family#

The surname “Gu” has the following origins:

1. The Gu family traces its roots back to the state of Gu during the Xia Dynasty. According to historical records, the descendants of the Kunwu clan were granted a fief in the state of Gu (now in Fan County, Henan Province). Alongside the nearby states of Ba and Wei, these states were important pillars of the Xia Dynasty in the lower Yellow River region and served as a defensive barrier in the east. At the end of the Xia Dynasty and the beginning of the Shang Dynasty, the state of Gu was conquered by King Tang of Shang. The royal descendants of Gu scattered throughout the country and adopted the name of their former state as their surname, marking the inception of the Gu family in Chinese history.
2. In the early Han Dynasty, Yao, a descendant of King Goujian of Yue, was granted a fief in Dongyi (now in Yongjia, Zhejiang Province) for his contributions to helping the feudal lords conquer the Qin Dynasty. Later, Yao granted his son the fief of Kuaiji, and he was titled Marquis of Guyu. The descendants of Marquis Guyu adopted the name “Gu” from the location of their fief, thus forming another branch of the Gu family.

Spread and Development From the Three Kingdoms period to the Tang Dynasty, the Gu family was one of the four most prominent surnames in the Jiangdong region. After the Tang Dynasty, due to various reasons, the Gu family began to spread to other parts of China, both north and south. By the Ming Dynasty, they were found in areas such as Shandong, Anhui, Hubei, Hunan, Fujian, Guangdong, and Sichuan, as well as in northern provinces like Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei, and Inner Mongolia. However, the core area of the Gu family’s development has always been the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions. Therefore, many famous individuals from the Gu family come from this area. For example:

• Gu Yong, the prime minister of the state of Wu during the Three Kingdoms period;
• Gu Rong, a leader of the Jiangnan gentry who supported Sima Rui during the Western Jin Dynasty and was a grandson of Gu Yong;
• Gu Kaizhi, a painter from the Eastern Jin Dynasty;
• Gu Yewang, an expert in philology and literature during the Southern Dynasties;
• Gu An and Gu Ying, painters from the Yuan Dynasty;
• Gu Dingchen, a Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall during the Ming Dynasty, and Gu Xiancheng, a secretary of the Ministry of Personnel;
• Gu Yanwu, a thinker and scholar during the Ming and Qing Dynasties;
• Gu Zuyu, a historian and geographer;
• Gu Zhenguan, Gu Donggao, and Gu Guangqi, scholars and textual critics from the Qing Dynasty; all of whom were from present-day Jiangsu.
• Gu Kuang, a poet from the Tang Dynasty; Gu Hongzhong, a painter from the Southern Tang Dynasty; and Gu Junen, a leader of the peasant uprising forces at the end of the Ming Dynasty, were all from other regions.

Famous People with the Surname Gu

• Gu Kaizhi: A talented artist from the Eastern Jin Dynasty who excelled in poetry, calligraphy, and painting. His paintings, often depicting figures, deities, Buddhist images, animals, and landscapes, are highly regarded. His approach to painting is characterized by the idea that the meaning is conveyed before the brushstrokes are applied. He wrote works such as “On Painting” and “Praise of the Eminent Painters of the Wei and Jin Dynasties,” which had a significant influence on the development of Chinese painting.
• Gu Yanwu: A scholar with extensive knowledge who made contributions to various fields, including national institutions, local history, astronomy, river transportation, military and agricultural affairs, classical literature, and phonology. His research methods set the precedent for the Qing Dynasty’s academic tradition and influenced later textual criticism movements. He wrote works like “Rizhilu” and “Wuxue Wushu.”
• Gu Xiancheng: A scholar from the Ming Dynasty who taught at the Donglin Academy. Along with his brothers and colleagues, he formed the Donglin Party, an influential group of intellectuals in Chinese history.

In summary, despite the family’s widespread distribution, the Gu family’s cultural and intellectual heritage has remained centered in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, resulting in many famous individuals from this area throughout Chinese history.