In Search of Your Roots: Genealogical Research on Chinese Surnames

Such is the growing popularity of tracing family trees that it should come as no surprise to find other cultures travelling similar roads. Indeed, we are told that the Chinese possess one of the oldest genealogical traditions in the world, extending back to 1700 bc. This book, though, is the first basic tool in English to trace the origins of Chinese surnames (though it does not cover family trees as the main title may suggest).

The bulk of the book, over 200 pages, contains analyses of 622 Chinese surnames, arranged alphabetically by an English transliteration. Typically each entry depicts the...