The surname Cen was first used during the Zhou Dynasty. Ji Qu, Ji Chang's nephew, was the first to use it. He used it because he controlled the area Cen Ting in Shanxi province. In honor of him, his children changed their name to Cen and posthumously named him Cen Zi. In 1368 Cen Tianbao surrendered to the first Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang. He was then made prefect of Tianzhou. His descendants were prefects of Zhen'an and sub-prefects of Guishun. Among the chieftains of the Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, some of the most important were of the Cen surname. In the 15th and 16th centuries many were strong allies of the Ming Dynasty. During the Republic of China control of Mainland China, Cen Chunxuan became president of the military government of Guangzhou. 