Key events in the history of the Gao (高) surname

11 dated events in the history of the Gao (高) surname, as recorded in Chinese sources.

1. Zhou Dynasty (Zhou Dynasty, 周朝)

   Gao Xi (Gao Xi, 高傒), the eleventh-generation descendant of Jiang Taigong (Jiang Taigong, 姜太公), assisted Duke Huan of Qi (Duke Huan of Qi, 齐桓公) in seizing the throne and was granted the ancestral courtesy name ‘Gao’ (Gao, 高) as his clan name, and enfeoffed at Lu Yi (Lu Yi, 卢邑).

2. Warring States period or Qin Dynasty (Warring States period or Qin Dynasty, 战国或秦时)

   The Gao (Gao, 高) clan migrated from Shandong (Shandong, 山东) into present-day Hebei (Hebei, 河北) and Liaoning (Liaoning, 辽宁) provinces.

3. Eastern Han Dynasty (Eastern Han Dynasty, 东汉)

   Gao Hong (Gao Hong, 高洪), Prefect of Bohai Commandery (Bohai Commandery, 渤海郡), settled in Bo Hai Tiao (Bo Hai Tiao, 渤海蓨), present-day Jingxian County (Jingxian County, 景县), Hebei Province (Hebei Province, 河北).

4. Northern and Southern Dynasties (Northern and Southern Dynasties, 南北朝)

   Gao Huan (Gao Huan, 高欢), a native of Bohai (Bohai, 渤海), controlled the Northern Wei (Northern Wei, 北魏) court for sixteen years; his son Gao Yang (Gao Yang, 高洋) replaced the Eastern Wei (Eastern Wei, 东魏) and founded the Northern Qi (Northern Qi, 北齐) dynasty, ascending the throne as emperor.

5. Early Tang Dynasty (Early Tang Dynasty, 唐初)

   The Gao (Gao, 高) clan entered Fujian (Fujian, 闽) with Chen Zheng (Chen Zheng, 陈政) and his son Chen Yuanguang (Chen Yuanguang, 陈元光) to open up Zhangzhou (Zhangzhou, 漳州).

6. Reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang (Reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang, 唐僖宗时)

   Gao Gang (Gao Gang, 高钢) fled south into Fujian (Fujian, 闽) to escape the Huang Chao (Huang Chao, 黄巢) rebellion and became the founding ancestor of the Gao (Gao, 高) clan after entering Fujian (Fujian, 闽).

7. Late Eastern Han Dynasty (Late Eastern Han Dynasty, 汉末)

   One branch of the Gao (Gao, 高) clan migrated south from Longxi (Longxi, 陇西) to central Yunnan (central Yunnan, 滇中) and later became a major Bai Man (Bai Man, 白蛮) surname.

8. First year of Shaosheng (First year of Shaosheng, 宋绍圣元年) of the Song Dynasty

   Gao Shengtai (Gao Shengtai, 高升泰) seized power from the Duan (Duan, 段) clan of the Dali Kingdom (Dali Kingdom, 大理), declared himself king, and established the state of Da Zhongguo (Da Zhongguo, 大中国).

9. Twenty-second year of Kangxi (Twenty-second year of Kangxi, 康熙二十二年) of the Qing Dynasty

   After Zheng Keshuang (Zheng Keshuang, 郑克爽) surrendered to the Qing court, the Gao (Gao, 高) clan began modern migration to Taiwan (Taiwan, 台湾).

10. Late Ming Dynasty (Late Ming Dynasty, 明末)

    Early Gao (Gao, 高) settlers migrated from Wanhua (Wanhua, 万华) along the Danshui River (Danshui River, 淡水河) to develop areas including Taipei Gongguan (Taipei Gongguan, 台北公馆), Jingmei (Jingmei, 景美), and Xindian (Xindian, 新店).

11. Post-war period (Post-war period, 战后)

    Indigenous peoples of Taiwan (Indigenous peoples of Taiwan, 台湾原住民) changed their surnames to Gao (Gao, 高) for convenience in household registration and due to residence in mountainous regions.