A study of Chinese regional hierarchical structure based on surnames

Abstract We use isonymic distance to measure the dissimilarity in surname structure between populations of Chinese provinces, and we employ the minimum spanning tree (MST) and the single linkage cluster analysis (SLCA) to investigate the hierarchical structure of Chinese provinces and present its corresponding geographical features. We find diverse discrepancies in the averaged isonymic distance among provinces that are attributed to the heterogeneous surname distributions. The MST displays a core–fringe structure with Henan, Anhui, and Hubei making up the core, and several border provinces on the fringe. The degree centrality list in the MST reveals some “local centers” that act as regional economic centers. On the other hand, the geographical layout of MST reflects the historical “Rush to Northeast” mass migration, as well as the blocking effect of the Qinling–Huaihe line that separates north and south China. The clustering results derived from the SLCA show nine groups of provinces in which each group is geographically continuous.