### Migration and Distribution Regarding the exact place of origin of the Nie surname, due to diverse opinions, it is impossible to verify today. However, there is no doubt that the Nie surname originated in the areas now known as Henan and Shandong. The first Nie surname person recorded in historical records was Nie Zheng in the Warring States period, who was from Zhi (now southwest of Jiyuan, Henan Province) in the State of Han. Later, in the Western Han Dynasty, there was Nie Yi (also known as Nie Wengyi) from Mayi, Yanmen (now Shuozhou, Shanxi Province). In the Eastern Han Dynasty, there was Nie Jibao from Xiangcheng, Yingchuan (now Xiangcheng, Henan Province), and there was also Nie Shang, who was the governor of Shu County (now Chengdu, Sichuan Province) and later became the Minister of Justice. This shows that before the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Nie surname basically had the north as the central area for its reproduction and development. During the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Nie surname developed rapidly in the area of present - day Xia County in Shanxi, showing a large clan with many branches and a prosperous population. Thus, the first major commandery - based clan of the Nie surname, the Hedong Commandery, emerged. In addition, due to the social unrest at that time, some Nie surname people had migrated to the south of the Yangtze River. Among them, those who settled in the Xin'an River Basin gradually formed the Xin'an Commandery - based clan of the Nie surname through reproduction and development. The historical figures of this period include Nie You, a person from the State of Wu in the Three Kingdoms, who was from Yuzhang (now Nanchang, Jiangxi Province), and Nie Song in the Southern Liang Dynasty. It can be seen that the Nie surname had migrated to present - day Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Anhui at this time. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Nie surname continued to thrive in the above two major commandery - based clans and spread to the surrounding areas with these two places as the centers. During the Two Song Dynasties, most of the Nie surname people recorded in historical records were from the south, and there were also those in present - day Fujian, Hunan, and Hubei, especially after the Southern Song Dynasty established its capital in Lin'an. At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, since the north had been under the rule of ethnic minorities for many years and was relatively more stable than the south, the reproduction of the Nie surname showed new characteristics, that is, the north developed steadily while the south saw migrations to avoid chaos. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, due to the strife among warlords and the prevalence of plagues, there were starving people everywhere and desolate lands in the Central Plains, East China, and Central South regions. After the Ming Dynasty unified the country, in order to restore the local economy, people were forcibly migrated from Shanxi, which was not affected by the war. Therefore, the Nie surname people in Shanxi were among the surnames of the migrants from Hongdong Big Sophora Tree in the Ming Dynasty and were resettled in Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui and other places. After the middle of the Ming Dynasty, some Nie surname people living along the coast migrated to Taiwan. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Xianzhong's massacre in Sichuan led to a sharp decline in the population of present - day Sichuan and Chongqing. Later, during the immigration from Huguang to Sichuan, some Nie surname people from Hubei and Hunan moved to Sichuan. After the Qing Dynasty, the distribution of the Nie surname became even wider. Today, the Nie surname is widely distributed across the country, especially in Hubei. People with the Nie surname in Hubei account for about 15% of the Han people with the Nie surname in the whole country. The Nie surname ranks 126th among the surnames in contemporary China, with a relatively large population, accounting for about 0.1% of the Han population in the country.

### Migration and Distribution The Nie surname is not listed among the top 100 surnames in the Chinese mainland or Taiwan. In the Song Dynasty's "Hundred Family Surnames", it was listed before well - known surnames such as Guan, Yue, and Gong, which indicates that the Nie surname ranked among the hundreds of surnames in China's myriad surnames. According to historical records, the Nie surname was an ancient surname of ethnic minorities in the Qin and Long areas, that is, the northwest region. "Tongzhi·Clan Strategy" and "Shan Zuo Poetry Collection" state: "It is a surname of ethnic minorities, with its prominent lineages emerging from Jinchang and Zhao Commandery." "The Nie surname in Shandong was changed from Ye by the descendants of Ye Xian." It can be seen that the Nie surname is from the "ethnic - minority surnames", that is, today's Tibetan surname, and its place of origin is Jinchang and Zhao Commandery, which is today's Shiquan in Shanxi, Gansu and other northwest regions. There are also people with the Nie surname in Shandong, who are the descendants of Ye Xian, the leader of the Oirat tribe in the Ming Dynasty, and they changed their surname to Nie. The Nie surname has become very rare today. The Nie surname in Guide is of long - standing settlement. Since this area was the activity area of the Xianling Qiang ethnic group during the Qin and Han Dynasties, which is the original ethnic origin of the Tibetan people. In the "Brief History of Guide County" (Revised Manuscript of the Continued History) compiled by Zhu Jiwu in Hedong, Guide in 1962, it is said that "The abbot of Niena Temple and the elder Nie Shenghua said that when they first came to this place, they knew a person who was originally from the Qiang ethnic group. The descendants of Wuyi Yuanjian, a leader of the Western Qiang, were the earliest to arrive in Guide. At that time, this place was flooded and was a vast expanse of water, and people couldn't live here. The Niena clan lived in Mailangxiangka in the eastern mountains. After an unknown number of years, the water gradually receded and the land turned into fertile fields. Half of them moved to the Qiuzha ethnic group in Hualong County, and the other half moved to Guide. Before the city was built in the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, they lived in Huangmiao Street and the area of the Instructor's Yamen. In the third year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (actually the seventh year), due to the construction of the city, half of them moved to Niena Village in the northeast suburb outside the city, and the other half moved to Lasa Village in the west suburb. The Hongshan Temple (today's Dafo Temple) built by the clan did not hinder the city - building, so it was not relocated." The above clearly explains the origin and development of the Nie clan in Guide. They are indeed the descendants of Wuyi Yuanjian, the leader of the Qiang ethnic group, who is the remote ancestor of today's Tibetan people. It is also said that the "Hongshan Temple" built by this clan was established before the Ming Dynasty. This is recorded in "The Religious and Political History of Amdo": "In Guide City... there is a Munihe (a transliteration of Nienahe) Dharma - protector Shrine where many Dharma - protectors gather and sit, also known as the Munihe Nine - story Hall. When the soldiers of Lord Nian (i.e., Nian Gengyao in the Qing Dynasty) came, the statue of Yama Dharma King showed an angry look and stared down at the door. Therefore, the soldiers were afraid and did not dare to destroy the shrine." "The Religious and Political History of Amdo" also records that the Niena Temple was built by the Living Buddha Luozheji (1675 - 1753) at the practice site of the first Oqin Chireben. The Niena Pagoda built by the Yellow River beside the temple has a very long history. "The Religious and Political History of Amdo" also records: "When the Tibetan King Ch热巴jin led his troops on a northern expedition, he built a pagoda with his hair as the inner relic in this area at the border between the Tang and Tubo Dynasties, and installed shiny gilded copper sun and moon on the top of the pagoda", which is called the "Niena Pagoda". This record is in line with the historical fact that the Tibetan King of the Tubo Dynasty occupied the eastern part of Qinghai in the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, the Hongshan Temple, Niena Pagoda, and Niena Temple are all named after the Nie clan's Niena ethnic group and were built by this clan or managed by their Living Buddhas. Today, Niena Village and the Nie clan are also one of the incense - offering villages and managers of Niena Temple. Today, in Qinghai Province, the only villages named after the Nie surname are Niena Natural Village under the jurisdiction of the East - City Neighborhood Committee of Heyin Town, Guide County, where most of the villagers have the Nie surname. And there are many people with the Nie surname in Lasa Village under the jurisdiction of the West - City Neighborhood Committee. They are also scattered in Nina Village in Luohantang Township and Shangliutun Village in Hexi Township. The members of this clan are recognized as sinicized Tibetans. The vast majority of them can speak Chinese and learn Chinese characters, so the cultural quality of the clan members is high. Sixty or seventy percent of the clan members are intellectuals. Among them, Nie Zongde was a cadre of the county people's government and a well - known calligrapher in the whole county. The golden - lettered plaque on the newly - built arch - structured Lingxing Gate in front of the Confucian Temple, which reads "Talented People Soar Like Dragons and Phoenixes", was written by him. Today, there is still the Nienahe tribal clan in Changmu Township in the pastoral area of this county, also known as the Muya ethnic group.