gǔ 古

### Migration and Distribution The Gu (古) surname population is not ranked among the top 100 in the Hundred Family Surnames on the Chinese mainland, but it ranks 75th in Taiwan. The Zhou tribe originally lived in Tai (present-day Wugong County, Shaanxi Province). Later, they were often invaded by the surrounding nomadic tribes and could not live in peace. Gugong Danfu, the 12th - generation descendant of Houji and the great - grandfather of King Wu of Zhou, led the people to find a new homeland. Eventually, they settled in Qishan (present - day Qishan County, Shaanxi Province). Gugong Danfu devoted himself to the reform of agriculture and politics. Finally, he established a powerful Zhou tribe. In memory of him, his descendants took his title as their surname, thus forming the Gu clan. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, some descendants of the Tuxi clan also changed their surname to Gu. In Taiwan, the Gu clan mainly lives in places like Xinzhu and Miaoli, and they often live in clusters. Such villages can be seen almost everywhere in places like Xihu in Miaoli, Dongshi in Taichung, Chaozhou in Pingtung, Zhudong, and Yangmei. The migration of the Gu clan to Taiwan occurred during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. In the 60th year of the Kangxi reign (1721 AD), when Zhu Yigui launched an uprising with the slogan of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming, calling himself the "Great Marshal for the Revival of the Ming Dynasty", some people with the Gu surname came from Wuhua, Guangdong to Taiwan to start a new life. Among them, the righteous people Gu Lanbo and Gu Fenxing settled two li east and west of Xiagangshui Port. By the Qianlong reign, another branch of the Gu clan migrated from Quanzhou to Taiwan. They first settled in Longtanpo in present - day Taoyuan County and later moved to Taipei, Taitung, Xinzhu and other places. According to the "Clan Records of Shanghang County" compiled by Qiu He, a successful candidate in the imperial examinations during the Qing Dynasty, it is recorded that "The Gu clan originated from the Xin'an Commandery. They are the descendants of Gugong, the King Tai of Zhou, and they took the surname accordingly." Xin'an was the ancestral place of the Gu surname. The ancestor here was Gu Bi, the Minister of Personnel and Prime Minister during the Northern Wei Dynasty. He lived in Daizhou (present - day Dai County, Shaanxi Province). As recorded in the "Geographical Records of the Wei Book", "There was an Xin'an Commandery in Daizhou." Gu Bi's descendants multiplied and became a prosperous clan in the local area. Therefore, the Gu clan took "Xin'an" as their ancestral hall name. In Shanghang, the population of the Gu surname is small. As stated in the "Clan Records of Shanghang County" from the Republic of China period, "There are dozens of households with the Gu surname in Dong'an Township of the county." The village where these Gu families in "Dong'an Township" lived, Mazutan, now belongs to Huangzhu Administrative Village in Lincheng. There are about 20 households of villagers who make a living by farming. Due to historical changes, they only know that their remote ancestors originated from the Xin'an Commandery, and there is no genealogy available for other details.