Genealogical Research · Family Connections · Published on 2026-10-06

The Distribution of the Quan Surname in Eastern Shandong and Clues for Tracing Roots in Zhanggezhuang, Fushan

The Quan surname is uncommon on the Jiaodong Peninsula. Existing place names and local materials indicate a relative concentration in the Zhanggezhuang area of Fushan, Yantai. The formation of villages such as Quanjiashan and Quanjia is associated with legends of migration during the Ming dynasty, but whether the different branches share a common ancestry still requires further comparison with genealogies, inscriptions, and local gazetteers.

The Quan surname is not particularly common among Chinese surnames. In the Jiaodong Peninsula, existing place-name records and regional distribution clues indicate that it is relatively concentrated in Fushan District, Yantai, particularly in connection with the villages of Qu家山 and Qu家 in Zhanggezhuang Town. There are also villages named “Qu家” in Pingdu, Qingdao, although the local Quan population is now relatively scattered. Surname traces preserved in place names can suggest early settlement patterns, but village names alone cannot confirm clan relationships among current residents.

Traditional surname literature generally links the distant origins of the Quan surname to the State of Quan during the Spring and Autumn period. The State of Quan was located in the Jianghan region and was later incorporated into Chu territory, with some of its descendants adopting the state name as their surname. Relevant records concerning the tomb stele of Quan Deyu from the Tang dynasty also preserve the account that the Quan surname originated from the ancient State of Quan and that, after the Zhou dynasty, its descendants entered Chu and adopted the surname. Such materials reflect the traditional account of the Quan surname’s origins and development. Given the great age of these records, specific lineages should still be cross-referenced with genealogies, inscriptions, and historical documents preserved in different regions; they cannot be used directly to establish the complete ancestral chain of any particular Quan branch in Jiaodong.

As for when the Quan surname arrived in Jiaodong, place-name records from Fushan and surrounding areas both contain accounts of villages being established during the Hongwu period of the Ming dynasty. According to tradition, Qu家山 was settled by people with the Quan and Wang surnames; because it was located in a mountainous area and the Quan surname gradually flourished there, it came to bear its name. Qu家 is recorded as having separated from Qu家山 in the middle of the Ming dynasty. Other sources mention that the Quan surname was also distributed in nearby Wenjia Village and the Fushan urban area. These accounts can provide directions for tracing roots, but claims that the settlers migrated from Yunnan, that brothers branched out to different places, and that Pingdu and Fushan shared a common ancestor cannot yet be conclusively established on the basis of legends or place names alone.

When researching a specific family, priority should be given to locating the founding migrant ancestor, residential villages, generation names, graves, and ancestral hall records in the genealogy of the relevant branch. These should then be cross-checked against local gazetteers, family memoirs, and the names, dates, and place names found in online genealogies. Shared generation names, similar hall names, or neighboring ancestral settlements can serve only as clues and cannot independently prove that families belong to the same lineage. For the branch relationship between Qu家山 and Qu家, particular attention should also be paid to prefaces in the genealogy, branch-division records, commemorated ancestors, and the order of generations. If clear genealogy pages, photographs of inscriptions, or local archival records can be obtained, the migration routes can be reconstructed in greater detail, distinguishing historical memory, later attribution, and lineage information supported by documentary evidence.

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