The surname Duan Gan is not very well known, how can one find out more detailed information about it? What are its clan titles and the names of its ancestral halls? How can we learn more about it, and where are they now located? These questions will be answered by our Huayi Fortune-telling website.

What are the clan titles and ancestral hall names of the Duan Gan family?

The term "clan title" originally referred to the name of a hall or room. A clan title is a representative name for a family's lineage, and it is an important part of family culture. For the same surname, people from the same family would write the name of the hall on the plaque of their ancestral temple or family shrine in order to worship their common ancestor. Therefore, a clan title also contains the meaning of the name of the ancestral hall. It is a marker that indicates the origin and lineage of a family, distinguishes family groups and branches, and serves as a symbol used to promote the virtues of ancestors and strengthen family unity. It reflects the consciousness of seeking one's roots and the worship of ancestors.

Therefore, just like the "clan seat," the clan title is a unique concept within Chinese surname culture. It is also an essential concept that people must understand when searching for their ancestral origins.

Clan Seat

Fufeng County: The county was established during the Zhou Dynasty, covering areas in today's Xingping and Xianyang, Shaanxi Province. In the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of Han first established the Right Fufeng in the year 104 BCE (the fourth year of the Taichu era), which, along with Jingzhao and Zuo Fengyi, formed the Three Suburbs, with its capital in Xingping City, Shaanxi Province. At that time, the area covered parts of the western Chang'an County and the Fengxiang County. During the Three Kingdoms period, the Cao Wei regime renamed it Fufeng County, with its capital in Weili (now Xingping, Shaanxi). At that time, the area covered the regions west of Linyou County and Ganzhou County, north of the Qinling Mountains, and south of the Pingyuan County in Shandong Province. During the Five Dynasties period, the Later Han regime limited its area to the current areas around Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province. During the Western Jin Dynasty, the capital was moved to Chi Yang (now Jingyang, Shaanxi). During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Northern Wei Dynasty moved the capital to Haochou (now Qian County, Shaanxi). During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the area of Fufeng County was around the present-day Qizhou, Shaanxi Province.

Lu County: Also known as Lu State or Lu County. In the early Han Dynasty, the former Xue County of the Qin Dynasty was renamed Lu State, with its capital in Luyu (now Qufu, Shandong). During the Three Kingdoms period, the Cao Wei and Jin Dynasties changed it to Lu County, covering areas around Qufu, Sishui, and Ziyang in Shandong Province. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Northern Qi Dynasty changed it to Rencheng County. Additionally, there was a Luzhou Lu County during the Sui Dynasty and a Yanzhou Lu County during the Tang Dynasty. Although these areas included Qufu, for example, during the Sui Dynasty, Luyu was renamed WenYang County and then restored to its original name Qufu, but the capital remained in Yanzhou. During the Tang Dynasty, the Lu State County was moved to the current Zhi County, Shandong Province.

Clan Title

Lu County Hall: Established based on the clan seat, also known as Lu State Hall.

Fufeng Hall: Established based on the clan seat.

Where are the main migration locations of the Duan Gan family?

According to historical records, Duan Gan Mu was the progenitor of the Duan Gan family, originating from the state of Wei during the Warring States period. The family has had a history of over two thousand years. The state of Wei was located in today's Ruicheng County, Shanxi Province, and the northern region, so the original location of the Duan Gan family should be in Shanxi. Later, the family gradually migrated eastward. The Duan Gan family was originally from Fufeng County and Lu County.

The Duan Gan family is one of the most obscure surnames in history, with two mainstream theories:

First theory:

The Duan family originated from the Ji surname. The ancestor of the Ji surname was the Yellow Emperor. After defeating Chiyou, the Yellow Emperor granted different surnames to twelve of his twenty-five sons, among whom was the Ji surname. The descendants of the Yellow Emperor have long maintained the Ji surname. The thirty-first direct descendant of the Yellow Emperor, Zheng Wugong (Ji Xing Jue Tu), was the second monarch of the State of Zheng during the Spring and Autumn period. When Zheng Wugong's wife Wu Jiang gave birth to her eldest son Zhuang Gong, she experienced a difficult labor, but when she gave birth to her second son Shuduan, it was smooth, so she favored Shuduan over Zhuang Gong. When Zheng Wugong was sick, she requested him to appoint Shuduan as the crown prince, but Zheng Wugong did not agree. Shuduan conspired with Wu Jiang and planned to attack Zhuang Gong. Zhuang Gong learned of this and sent troops to attack. Shuduan was defeated and fled to a place called Gong, hence he was also called Gong Shuduan. His descendants, in memory of him, changed their Ji surname to Duan. By the fifth generation, it was Duan Gan Mu, thus forming the Duan Gan double surname.

Second theory:

The Duan Gan family has a close connection with the great ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi. "Duan" and "Gan" were originally the names of two towns during the Warring States period in the state of Wei. According to the historical record "Biography of Laozi" in the "Records of the Grand Historian," Laozi's grandson was Li Zong, who was a general of the state of Wei. He was successively enfeoffed in the places of Duan and Gan, hence obtaining the double surname Duan Gan. Recently, some scholars believe that the Duan Gan family may not necessarily be descendants of Li Zong, because the phenomenon of combining two towns into a surname was rare in history, and it is unique among the surnames derived from Li Zong. Therefore, it cannot be concluded that the Duan Gan family was the result of Li Zong's descendants forming a surname by combining two towns. This explanation may be a forced interpretation due to the lack of clear genealogical records.