zhái 翟

### Migration and Distribution According to *Yuanhe Xingzuan* (A Genealogy of Surnames Compiled in the Yuanhe Era), during the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhai clan lived in Beidi (around present - day Yaoxian and Fuping in Shaanxi Province). After being conquered by the State of Jin, their descendants dispersed to present - day Shanxi and various parts of southern China during the Qin Dynasty. According to historical records, there was Zhai Louxin in the State of Qi during the Spring and Autumn Period, and Zhai Heng in the State of Wei during the Warring States Period. It can be said that before the Qin Dynasty, the Zhai clan had already spread across present - day Henan, Shandong, and Shanxi. During the Han Dynasty, there were many Zhai clan members recorded in historical documents. For example, Zhai Fangjin, Zhai Xuan, and Zhai Yi, a father - and - sons trio, were from Shangcai (now in Henan Province); Zhai Gong, the Minister of Justice, was from Xiagui (now in Weinan, Shaanxi Province); Zhai Mu was from Pei (now in Jiangsu Province); Zhai Yin, the Prefect of Jingzhao, was from Nanyang (now in Henan Province); and during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhai Xifu was from Guanghanluo (now Guanghan, Sichuan Province)... This indicates that during the Han Dynasty, the Zhai clan had spread westward to Shaanxi and southward to Sichuan and Jiangsu. During the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Zhai clan settled in Runan and Nanyang thrived. After continuous reproduction and development, they finally formed the prestigious family branches of the Zhai clan in the Runan and Nanyang areas. At this time, the Zhai Tang family in Xunyang, Lujiang (now Huangmei, Hubei Province) was particularly notable. His son Zhai Zhuang, grandson Zhai Jiao, great - grandson Zhai Faci, and great - great - grandson Zhai Guang were all well - known at that time and left their marks in history. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Zhai clan remained prosperous in the north, especially in Henan. From the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period to the Song Dynasty, there were many well - known Zhai clan members recorded in historical documents. Analyzing their native places, we can see that the Zhai clan was still very prosperous in Henan and Shandong in the north, and there were already Zhai clan members living in present - day Beijing. In the south, the Zhai clan in Anhui, Jiangsu and other places had begun to take shape. Notably, Zhai Fengheng, a scholar from Huizhou Guishan (now Huiyang, Guangdong Province) during the Northern Song Dynasty, indicated that there were already Zhai clan members living in the southernmost part of Guangdong at this time. At the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, as the north was under the rule of the Mongols and there were wars on both sides of the Yangtze River, the Zhai clan in relatively stable areas such as Hebei, Shandong, and Shanxi reproduced steadily. However, the Zhai clan in Anhui, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang fled the wars and migrated to various southern provinces, spreading to Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, and Guangxi. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Zhai clan in Shanxi was among the surnames of the migrants from Hongtong Big Sophora Tree and was resettled in Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Shaanxi, Anhui and other places. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, some Zhai clan members from Hebei, Shandong, and Henan migrated to the three northeastern provinces, and some coastal Zhai clan members crossed the sea to Taiwan and set sail for other countries in Southeast Asia. Today, the Zhai clan is widely distributed across the country, with a relatively large number in Hebei and Shandong. The Zhai clan in these two provinces accounts for about 48% of the Han Zhai clan population in the country. The Zhai clan ranks 108th among the surnames in modern China, with a relatively large population, accounting for about 0.15% of the Han population in the country.