Xian (Chinese: 咸) is Chinese surname. Cantonese the Haam, old Chinese the Ham, Hahm. It could refer to the surname 冼 which was chosen to replace the rare character surname Shan which cannot be displayed on a computer with normal coding. Two hundred people from Gaozhuang Village were affected although people who already registered with their original name were allowed to keep it. The choice was controversial as some people saw that future generations would forget their name.