Commandery
Donghai 东海Ancestral Commandery
A Lineage from the Eastern Sea: The Legacy of the State of Xu
Main lineage: From the Ying surname, descendants of Boyi. In the Zhou era the state of Xu was enfeoffed (near present-day Sihong, Jiangsu); when the state fell, its people took it as their surname.
A clan of many sources: Includes ethnic-minority surname changes.
Root point: The ancient state of Xu in Jiangsu.
▸ Internal migration: The clan arose in the Huai River valley; the Wei–Jin migration went south; the Tang and Song brought it into Fujian and Guangdong; the Ming and Qing saw further dispersal.
▸ Overseas branches: Xus of southern Fujian and Chaoshan went to the Nanyang.