This site is devoted to the genealogy of Chinese families from an area of Guangdong, China (中國廣東)commonly known as Siyi (四邑) or four counties. The counties are Xinhui (新會), Taishan (台山), Kaiping (開平), and Enping (恩平). The families in this area have much in common besides geographic location. The great majority trace their origin to China’s central plain. Each faamily may have different reasons for leaving the Central Plains and migrated southward. The most common would be fleeing the turmoil caused by an invading nomad tribe, internal uprising or natural disaster. This southward journey happened in multiple stages and over hundreds of years. Each major unrest or disaster drove them further south until they finally settled in their current locations. In many cases this final settlement took place five to six hundred years ago.
Due to crowded living condition and lack of agrarian land the migration, however, continued. At first a small number headed to the South Pacific. Since the 1850′s an increasing large number had crossed the Pacific and Indian Oceans in search of work. This is not a true migration in that they seldom settled in their new locations due to cultural and political reasons. This, however, began to change in the latter half of the 20th century as the Western nations amended their immigration policies primarily because of the overseas Chinese’s contributions to the war effort during World War II. This coupled with events in China made many decided to have their families joined them and settled in the foreign land.
A place of great significant during this southward migration is Zhujixiang, Nanxiong (南雄珠璣巷). A vast majority of the families in the Pearl River Delta area trace their roots to there. One can say it is Pearl River Delta genealogy’s equivalent to the Americans’ Mayflower and Plymouth Rock.
The surnames we are actively researching are: Chan, Chow, Der, Kwan, Lee, Mak, Wong, and Zhao (陳周謝關李麥黃趙). So far we only have time to compile some of the information on the Chow (周), Der (謝), Lee (李), and Zhao (趙).
Hi…I actually was able to fill some blanks with this site so thank you very much. I wasn’t raised with my Chinese family and my grandfather passed 10 years ago. My husband and I were going to plan a trip to China but I only want to go if I can find my grandfather’s ancestral home.
His name was Li Lam; also known as Li Yi Ching. His father’s name was Li Hin Pun. Li Lam was born in 1899 and emigrated to Canada in 1917. His ancestral village was Nam Wo Li (Black Stone Village) in Enping, Guangdong (formerly Kwangtung).
Would you be able to help me find this on a map? I have many Chinese co-workers but they haven’t been able to find it on any of their maps.
Thank you.
Hi Joanne,
Nam Wo Li doesn’t translated into Black Stone Village. I think the word “Nam” means South and Wo means Harmony and Li is a noun similar to village. The name in Chinese characters is 南和里. Unfortunately I can’t find a “Nam Wo Li” on the map but was able to find a village with the name Black Stone 烏石. It is on the north east sector of Enping, just north West of Shahu. See map
http://www.box.com/s/081ba2f4bd1c62513606
I was born “European” legally but unofficially I was given my chinese name Lauw Tjin Hong, which I later found out to be most likely written 劉真 鳳.
My father was Lauw Kwee Kang and his father Lauw Tjiang Hin (or Hien according to Dutch influenced spelling in Indonesia).
We may be Fujianese considering our pronounced names. Father was born in Bekasi, just East of Jakarta, Indonesia.
I wonder if anyone could help me to trace my ancestry back to the mainland, respectively find wider relatives, based on my above grandfather’s name.
Thanks in advance,
Ron / Zhen Fong (Tjin Hong)
Me llamo Juan Chau Chang, Mi padre peruano fue Amador Alejandro Chau Jo, Su padre fue Aljandro Chau, quien vino de China (Cantón) al Perú a inicios de 1900, llegando al Calao con un primo. Se afincaron por la pequeña ciudad de San Vicente de Cañete, al sur de Lima, donde nació mi padre.
Deseo saber mas de la ascendencia o que datos debo buscar entre mis parientes para hacer mi genalogía. Sé que tenemos algún parentesco con los Johnson (ingles)