xīn 辛

### Migration and Distribution The Xin surname originated in present-day Heyang, Shaanxi. The Xins were vassals during the Xia Dynasty and their fiefdom perished when Jie, the last king of the Xia Dynasty, was overthrown. During the Shang Dynasty, there were few records of the Xin surname in historical books. At the end of the Shang Dynasty, there was Xin Jia, an official historian. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, he was enfeoffed in Changzi (present-day Changzi, Shanxi). His descendants then started to settle in Shanxi. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, there were Xin Yu and Xin Liao in the State of Jin, Xin You in the capital of the Zhou Dynasty (present-day Luoyang, Henan), and Xin Li in the State of Lu. This indicates that the Xin surname had spread to present-day Henan and Shandong at that time. Around the transition between the Western and Eastern Han Dynasties, the Xins had formed large communities in Longxi (present-day Lintao, Gansu). In particular, the family of Xin Qingji was prominent for generations, laying a solid foundation for the Longxi commandery clan of the Xin surname in later generations. At this time, there was also Xin Yuanping, a native of Zhao (present-day Hebei). It can be seen that the Xin clan had spread all over the north. During the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Xins in Longxi had grown into a large and prosperous clan with many high - ranking officials. The Longxi commandery clan of the Xin surname had taken shape. In addition, the Xins in the Yanmen area were also on the rise, forming the second - largest commandery clan in the history of the Xin surname, the Yanmen commandery clan. Driven by the influence of the Longxi commandery clan, the Xins also formed large and prosperous communities in present - day Lanzhou, Gansu. Moreover, the Xins thrived in Henan. Xin Puming moved from Henan to Kuaiji (present - day Shaoxing, Zhejiang). He was probably the first Xin to migrate to the south of the Yangtze River. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Longxi remained the main area where the Xins multiplied, with an undiminished momentum. There was also Xin Maojiang, the only prime minister in the history of the Xin surname. From the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to the Two Song Dynasties, the development of the Xin surname showed new characteristics. The Longxi commandery clan still existed but had lost its former glory. The Xins developed rapidly in present - day Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, and Shandong. Especially in present - day Shandong, the Xins multiplied very prosperously. As the Southern Song Dynasty established its regime in the south, more Xin families appeared in the south, and some Xins had migrated to Fujian. During the Yuan Dynasty, some Xins migrated to Xinjiang. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, as one of the surnames of the migrants from Hongtong Big Sophora Tree in Shanxi, the Xins in Shanxi were resettled in Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Henan, Shandong and other places. After the Ming Dynasty, the Xins were widely distributed across the country, with the Xins in Shandong multiplying the most prosperously. After the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns of the Qing Dynasty, many Xins from Henan, Hebei, and Shandong migrated to Northeast China, with the Xins from Shandong being the main force. Today, the Xin surname is widely distributed across the country, especially in Shandong, Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang. The Xins in these four provinces account for about 71% of the Han Xin population in the country. The Xin surname ranks 139th among the Chinese surnames today. It has a relatively large population, accounting for about 0.09% of the Han population in the country.