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==Sociological use of surnames== [[File:TongshanXian-G106-G316-junction-0018.jpg|thumb|Many village names in China are linked to surnames. Pictured is Jiajiayuan (贾家源), i.e. "[[Jia (surname)|Jia Family]]'s Spring", in Honggang Town, [[Tongshan County, Hubei]]]] Throughout most of Chinese history, surnames have served sociological functions. Because of their association with the aristocratic elite in their early developments, surnames were often used as symbols of nobility. Thus nobles would use their surnames to be able to trace their ancestry and compete for seniority in terms of hereditary rank. Examples of early [[genealogy|genealogies]] among the royalty can be found in [[Sima Qian]]'s ''Historical Records'', which contain tables recording the descent lines of noble houses called ''shibiao'' ({{zh|c=世表|p=shìbiǎo}}). Later, during the Han dynasty, these tables were used by prominent families to glorify themselves and sometimes even to legitimize their political power. For example, [[Cao Pi]], who forced the abdication of the last Han emperor in his favor, claimed descent from the [[Yellow Emperor]]. Chinese emperors sometimes passed their own surnames to subjects as honors. Unlike European practice in which some surnames are obviously noble, Chinese emperors and members of the royal family had regular surnames except in cases where they came from non-Han ethnic groups. This was a result of Chinese imperial theory in which a commoner could receive the [[Mandate of Heaven]] and become emperor. Upon becoming emperor, the emperor would retain his original surname. Also as a consequence, many people also had the same surname as the emperor, but had no direct relation to the royal family. The Tang dynasty was the last period when the great aristocratic families, mostly descended from the nobility of pre-Qin states, held significant centralized and regional power. The surname was used as a source of prestige and common allegiance. During the period many genealogical records called ''pudie'' ({{zh|s=谱牒|t=譜牒|p=pǔdié}}) were compiled to trace the complex descent lines of families or clans and their marriage ties to other families or clans. Many of these were collected by [[Ouyang Xiu]] in his ''New History of Tang''. To differentiate between different surnames, the Tang also choronyms before stating beforehand, for example Lǒngxī Lǐshì 隴西李氏, meaning Li of Longxi. These were generally the names of commanderies used prior to the reorganization during the Tang, so that they became exclusively associated to clans as their common use had died out. Cadet branches were also listed for further differentiation, such as Gūzāng Fáng 姑臧房, meaning Clan Li of Guzang. During the Song dynasty, ordinary clans began to organize themselves into corporate units and produce genealogies. This trend was led by the poet [[Su Shi]] and his father. As competition for resources and positions in the bureaucracy intensified, individuals used their common ancestry and surname to promote solidarity. They established schools to educate their sons and held common lands to aid disadvantaged families. Ancestral temples were also erected to promote surname identity. Clan cohesion was usually encouraged by successive imperial governments since it aided in social stability. During the Qing dynasty surname associations often undertook extrajudicial roles, providing primitive legal and social security functions. They played important roles in the Chinese diaspora to South-East Asia and elsewhere, providing the infrastructure for the establishment of trading networks. In southern China, however, clans sometimes engaged in armed conflict in competition for land. Clans continued the tradition of tracing their ancestry to the distant past as a matter of prestige. Most of these origin myths, though well established, are spurious. As a result of the importance of surnames, rules and traditions regarding family and marriage grew increasingly complex. For example, in Taiwan, there is a clan with the so-called "double Liao" surname. The story is that "Chang Yuan-zih of Liao's in Siluo married the only daughter of Liao San-Jiou-Lang who had no son, and he took the oath that he should be in the name of Liao when alive and should be in the name of Chang after death."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yunlin.gov.tw/english/from/index-1.asp?m=2&m1=15&m2=113&gp=71&id=35|title=Siluo Liao's Family Temple (3rd grade relic)|publisher=Yunlin County Government}}</ref> In some places, there are additional taboos against marriage between people of the same surname, considered to be closely related. Conversely, in some areas, there are different clans with the same surname which are not considered to be related, but even in these cases surname [[exogamy]] is generally practiced. Surname identity and solidarity has declined markedly since the 1930s with the decline of [[Confucianism]] and later, the rise of [[Communism]] in Mainland China. During the [[Cultural Revolution]], surname culture was actively persecuted by the government with the destruction of ancestral temples and genealogies. Moreover, the influx of Western culture and forces of [[globalization]] have also contributed to erode the previous sociological uses of the Chinese surnames.
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