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August 14, 2016

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Home » Sunday » Now and Then

Jins a family with mythic origin story

By Joyce Zhang | August 14, 2016, Sunday | Print Edition

JIN, as a Chinese surname, literally means “metal.” There are an estimated 3.8 million people surnamed Jin in China, ranking the name 64th in terms of population.

The earliest Jin family originated from Shao Hao, known as one of the legendary “Five Emperors” in ancient ages. He was credited as the emperor of the west after death. Since the west is the direction of “jin” (metal) in the Chinese philosophy of “the five elements” that compose the universe, his offspring took Jin as their surname.

The first minority family taking on the surname appeared in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). Mi Di, the Hun prince, pledged allegiance to Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty. Since the Huns are known for their metal sculptures used in worship ceremonies, the prince was granted the Han’s surname “Jin” after surrender. The descendants of the prince surnamed Jin were once an important branch in the Huns, yet gradually merged into the Hans as the Hun population faded.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (AD 907-960), Qian Liu, a king of Wuyue Kingdom forbid his subjects from using names with similar a pronunciation to his. Those surnamed Liu shifted their surname to Jin, which is part of the structure of the character Liu.

There were other minority people surnaming themselves Jin when interacting with the Hans. A great number of Jews entered and settled in China in the Song Dynasty (AD 907-960), and shifted to Chinese surnames for convenience. There are generally 17 Chinese surnames used by the Jews, including Jin.

The family of Shao Hao’s descendants originated in Shandong Province, while the family of the Hun prince surnamed Jin lived in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. The Jins were once among the three most prominent families in Chengdu, Sichuang Province, and the four top prominent families in Linfen of Shanxi Province. People surnamed Jin were found in most regions of China by the Qing Dynasty (AD 1644-1911).

Jin Shengtan, a litterateur and critics born in the late Ming Dynasty, is one of the most well-known Jins in Chinese history. His critiques of classics including “The Outlaws of Marsh,” “The Romance of West Chamber” and “A Dream of Red Mansions” are widely quoted even today.

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