Customer Reviews

Your Chinese Roots: The Overseas Chinese Story

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This excellent book chronicles the Chinese diaspora from Guangdong and Fujian provinces in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Finally I see in print the reasons for the diaspora, ie starvation due to crop failures and overcrowding. The whys and wherefores are clearly described in this book, which I had a nagging suspicion occurred and read fragments that have been obliquely alluded to in various China and US travel books. People just don't leave enmass from a country without some real impetus, gold mountain or not.

The author is a Singaporean born sociologist and parts of this book were the basis for his doctorate thesis. While large sections of the book are dedicated to the Overseas Ethnic Chinese (OEC) that settled in Singapore, the next largest sections cover the US, as he earns his doctorate at the Univ of Virginia. The least covered area of the diaspora is towards Southeast Asia. Almost nothing is discussed about the Philippines and South America.

In Chap 3, p 43-48 the author documents what districts in Canton and Fujian most emigrants actually left, the number, what dialects they spoke, and what areas (Nanyang) they were bound for. He also goes on to say how many returned and the net outflow that stayed in their adopted country. On p47, I was amazed to read that almost 5 million people left in the last 25 years of the 19th century.

Much is said better elsewhere about the successful OEChinese that dominate the economies in many ASEAN nations, especially in G T Haley etal, "New Asian Emperor" (98, 0-7506-4130-4). No wonder the PRChina is courting the OEC to come back and invest in the SEZs.

In Chap 4, he discusses the diaspora, in order of significance, to Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia in four pages. In Chap 5 in 17 pgs, he covers the diaspora to the US goldmines, building of the railroad, discrimation and exclusion laws, emigration, and finally the Amer Born Chinese. On p80 there is a table of Chinese entering the US broken down to decade which was referenced from Rose Hum Lee's early work in 1960. The peak immigration occurred in the 1870s and totals just under a half million covering a century. In Chap 6 in 14 pgs, he covers the similar diaspora to Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

In Part III in 3 chapters the author covers Chinese organizations and financial and protective covenants formed in their respective countries. This section is heavily biased towards historical events in Singapore, the States (20 pgs), and the UK Commonwealth. About one page (p137) describes the self-financing of businesses in the US, using family associations, or "hui-kuans." The author does not predict accurately the effects of the 1997 repatriation of Hong Kong p164, resulting modern diaspora and exodus to Canada, especially in Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa, where money buys you citizenship and upscale housing. There is almost no discussion of Chinese organizations in other ASEAN nations; the 2-pg listing in the Appendix is just for Singapore. The role of the Tongs, Triads, and Secret Societies is discussed in context of Singapore (p114-6) and the US (p139-40). There is no discussion of the great 1909 San Francisco fire, its destruction of official POE immigration records, and the resulting shams used by Chinese to further the immigration of relatives and family.

Tan's book is nicely laid out and organized into four parts with 12 chapters, including quotes and poetry. He has a 3 ½-page bibliography and a 4-page index. The book is illustrated with 3 crude maps, several tables, 10 reproductions of drawings and etchings, and about 20 photographs which include US Chinatowns. There are many Chinese characters sprinkled in the text to help clarify any translations needed and for making your own family "chop" if desired. There is a 2-pg appendix that transliterates pinyin and Wade-Giles romanization of character pronunciation, but is mainly limited to provinces and famous people. Published almost 20 years ago, I read this book at a local library. He could have had a glossary, however, as he doesn't always define a Chinese word, eg Nanyang, although he uses it everywhere.

As far as his last Part 4 on tracing your Chinese roots, a large (65 pgs, about 1/5th of the book) chapter 12 is devoted to listing almost 50 most popular surnames (with alternative spellings) and a short page describing where the name originated in early Chinese history together with many Chinese characters. I'm somewhat dubious about the value of this listing as only a fraction of these names relate to the diaspora from the Canton and Fujian area. But it is interesting reading and can assist in tracing your roots within China, especially on both sides of the family beyond the typical 4-5 generations.

In Chap 11, he has a 2-pg description of the Chinese dialects and where they are located geographically in the two provinces and a useful table on p177 which lists destination countries, which province / district of origin, and dialect. He doesn't describe the differences in the dialects, however, and why they result in intense clan or family loyalty.

He compares the Chinese diaspora to the States very briefly on p47 with the earlier Irish emigration in the mid 1800s during the Potato famine which drove them to re-settle in Boston and NYC.

This is certainly a very good book for those beginning to research their Chinese roots. This book has 262 pages and contents are divided into 4 parts. Part I is a personal account of the author and insights into Chinese culture. It also looks into the historical background of emigration from China. Part II is the story of the Chinese communities in Nanyang (Southeast Asia), America, Australia, New Zealand and Britain. Part III talks about the traditional Chinese associations in these communities. And Part IV provides information to Guangdong and Fujian Provinces of China (the ancestral home to most overseas Chinese)and the various Chinese dialect groups and where they are found. It also provides information on the origins of 47 Chinese surnames and their illustrious ancestors. The surnames discussed are Bai, Cai, Chen, Chu, Fan, Fang, Feng, Guan, Guo, Han, he, Hong, Huang, Ke, Li, Lin, Liu, Liu, Lu, Luo, Mei, Ouyang, Qian, Qiu, Shen, Situ, Su, Sun, Wang, Wen, Wu, Xiao, Xu, Xu, Yan, Yan, Yang, Yu, Zeng, Zhang, Zhen, Zheng, Zhong, Zhou, Zhu, Zhuang, and Zhuo.

A very quick delivery from US to Holland, perfect.
Delivery costs are very high though.