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=== Genealogies === | === Genealogies === | ||
In the history of the Chinese people, there are three important elements that are significant. They are China's history, the local gazette, and a clan's genealogy. Among these three elements, genealogy has the longest history and is the most influential. | In the history of the Chinese people, there are three important elements that are significant. They are China's history, the local gazette, and a clan's genealogy. Among these three elements, genealogy has the longest history and is the most influential. | ||
Clan or lineage genealogies constitute the major source material for Chinese family historians and genealogists. Scholars have shown that clan genealogies can be a valuable source for research into Chinese history. | Clan or lineage genealogies constitute the major source material for Chinese family historians and genealogists. Scholars have shown that clan genealogies can be a valuable source for research into Chinese history. Since most genealogies continue into the early or mid twentieth century, a researcher who can connect into a lineage genealogy can often determine their pedigree quickly and accurately back to the 1600s and, typically, much further.<ref name="profile"/> | ||
The size, generational depth, and type of information included in clan genealogies vary a great deal. Most of the genealogies microfiled in various library collections are printed books that average ten volumes per title. However, most of the genealogies collected in special projects from private individuals in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and the Untied States are single volume manuscripts. | The size, generational depth, and type of information included in clan genealogies vary a great deal. Most of the genealogies microfiled in various library collections are printed books that average ten volumes per title. However, most of the genealogies collected in special projects from private individuals in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and the Untied States are single volume manuscripts. | ||
Record Type: As a society that practices ancestor veneration, the Chinese have traditionally kept genealogies. These include zongpu (general genealogies), zupu (clan genealogies), jiapu (extended family genealogies), shipu (branch genealogies) and jiacheng (family records or annals). Printed and manuscript genealogies differ in scope. Those that are printed (usually in only small quantities) cover the broader family; manuscripts cover more narrow lineage and more immediate generations. | |||
Time Period: Few genealogies were kept before the Song dynasty (960), though some date from the time before Christ. Most date from the Qing dynasty (1600s to present). | |||
Contents: Records show lineage structure and cite achievements of family members. They show male descendants in linked patrilineal sequence from founding ancestors, indicate generation order and the pertinent branches. Standard entries include generation order, surnames and usually multiple given names of males, death date or burial date and place, patrilineal lineage and often the surname of the wife's family. Other entries may include the name of the wife's father, titles and honors for more noteworthy individuals, and more recently the given names of women. Specifically, tables begin either with the ancestor who is believed to be the founder of the clan or lineage (often in early periods) or with the first ancestor who immigrated to a specific locality in the more recent past and became the founder of the lineage that sponsored compilation of the genealogy. In either case, information is more detailed for members of the localized lineage. The maximum amount of information that may be recorded for individuals appearing in the tables is as follows: 1 personal names, style and literary names; 2 relationship to father (natural offspring or adopted), order of birth, name of father; 3 education and government service-degree and date of highest successful examination (or university degree in recent times), highest official appointment, titles and honors; 4 birthdate (year, month, day, and hour); 5 date of death (year, month, day, and hour); 6 burial location and exact situation of grave; 7 age at death, if the deceased was especially long-lived; 8 surname of wife, often her personal name and native place, exceptionally the names of her father and other notable male relatives; 9 titles of merit conferred on wife, especially widows who did not remarry; 10 birthdate of wife (year, month, day, and hour); 11 date of wife's death (year, month, day, and hour); 12 age of wife at death, if exceptionally long-lived; 13 all or part of above data for additional wives and/or concubines; 14 location and situation of grave(s) of mate(s); 15 sons sired, sometimes according to natural mother, by name and order of birth (with special notation of biological fathers of adopted sons, sons adopted out to collateral lineages, heirship agreements, and occasionally sons who died in infancy or childhood); 16 daughters sired may be listed simply by the total number of female births, or by order of birth, or omitted entirely (occasionally husbands of married daughters will be identified by village, surname and personal name, and complete names of their fathers); 17 individuals who entered monastic orders may be omitted from the record altogether or merely identified as having “left the family” with no further information given. | |||
Location: Genealogies are scattered in libraries throughout mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and in the United States. These public collections consist chiefly (some 85%) of published genealogies with about 15% as manuscripts. Many genealogies are in private possession of families. Of these, an estimated 85% are manuscripts and 15% are printed genealogies. Many genealogies in mainland China were destroyed during the cultural revolution. These were kept in ancestral halls, few of which now exist. Existing manuscript genealogies are likely in private possession of senior family representatives. | |||
Population Coverage: Existing published and manuscript genealogies may cover as much as 25% of the historical population since the 1600s. This figure would be closer to 60% of the post-1600 population if the preservation ratio was higher. Published genealogies include those families with resources to organize, edit and produce genealogies. Manuscript genealogies were likely created for nearly all extended families in the dominant Han ethnic group and to a lesser extent for many national minorities, especially those who practice ancestor veneration. Individuals who brought shame to the family by criminal or other disreputable behavior, female children and children who died young may be omitted from the genealogical record. Wealth and prosperity may indeed be critical in regard to the ability of lineage members to print and distribute genealogies. However, recent studies have shown that the keeping of genealogical records was widespread among the less well-to-do lineages and families in towns and villages away from rich urban centers. The results from Taiwan reveal that among such populations most genealogies are handwritten documents, not published. | |||
Reliability: Very reliable in recent generations, especially those subsequent to the “first ancestor who moved” to the present site of the lineage in question. There is general agreement that pedigrees may have weak generational links in very early generations, especially before the Tang Dynasty.<ref name="profile">The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: China,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 1997.</ref> | |||
''Jia Pu'' (translated as genealogy record), also known as ''Zu Pu'', is a record of a clan's history and lineage. It documents the origins of the surname, the migration patterns of the clan, the family lineage, the ancestral biography, the story of the locality, etc. | ''Jia Pu'' (translated as genealogy record), also known as ''Zu Pu'', is a record of a clan's history and lineage. It documents the origins of the surname, the migration patterns of the clan, the family lineage, the ancestral biography, the story of the locality, etc. | ||
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The objectives of Chinese genealogical research has tremendously changed over time. Researchers are now studying Chinese genealogies as a supplement to other research areas, such as social economic history, geographical history, history of law, population history, religion and culture, history of overseas Chinese, inheritance practices, and biography of historical figures. | The objectives of Chinese genealogical research has tremendously changed over time. Researchers are now studying Chinese genealogies as a supplement to other research areas, such as social economic history, geographical history, history of law, population history, religion and culture, history of overseas Chinese, inheritance practices, and biography of historical figures. | ||
For Chinese genealogies from the South Pacific see this article: [[Samoan, Tongan and other Polynesian Genealogies|Samoan, Tongan and other Polynesian Genealogies]] | For Chinese genealogies from the South Pacific see this article: [[Samoan, Tongan and other Polynesian Genealogies|Samoan, Tongan and other Polynesian Genealogies]] | ||
=== Histories of Chinese Surnames in Wikipedia === | === Histories of Chinese Surnames in Wikipedia === | ||