Welcome to Traceable, your one-stop shop for the latest stories, genealogy tips, and updates from My China Roots!
Since 2012, our global team of researchers has helped hundreds of families trace their Chinese ancestry. We reunite relatives, decipher records, and bring stories to light for future generations. With the launch of this blog, we are excited to bring you our best tips and tales from the road!
Whether you’re new to family history or a seasoned genealogist, our team is here to help you take the next step in your search. Think of Traceable as a living library, open 24/7 any time you need a fresh dose of inspiration. Our collections will be updated regularly with articles covering:
- Genealogy 101: Your starter guide to the world of Chinese genealogy.
- Surnames: A deep dive into the origins of your Chinese last name.
- Roots Stories: Journeys to find ancestors across the world, including cases we’ve cracked!
Discovery happens best in community, so we would love to hear from you in the comments sections. What motivates you to explore your family history? What challenges are you facing as your search unfolds?
For Huihan, our founder, his journey began with the question of “Who am I? What does it truly mean to be Chinese?” This search for identity led him from the Dutch countryside (where he was born) to sugar plantations in Indonesia (where his parents were born)… all the way to a Chinese temple where his ancestors once prayed 200 years ago (i.e. seven generations back!). He found not only family, but emerged feeling profoundly connected with his roots.
Where will your search lead you? With cultural and language barriers, we understand that it can be overwhelming to even know where to start. (After all, Huihan didn’t know a lick of Mandarin when he first began.)
That’s why we have created handy-dandy tools to bridge the gap and jumpstart your search. With our free online resources, you can immediately:
- Start building your family tree, and share it with relatives
- Organize photos of each ancestor
- Identify the Chinese surname character that your ancestors originally bore before immigrating
- If you already know your Chinese surname, search for your family history book (zupu) in our database of 1400+ records
If you would like personalized assistance, feel free to get in touch and tell us exactly what you’re looking for.
We hope that Traceable will help advance your roots search and bring you rich, diverse stories from the community. We welcome guest writers to contribute original stories of the Chinese diaspora experience as well. To submit, please email us your attached article with “Guest Post” in the subject line. Thanks for reading, and happy tracing!
I would like to trace my family root in China. I was born in Indonesia and have been residing in California for almost 30 years.
I am not sure where to start.
Hi Riminta, we would love to help you get started. Please get in touch and tell us anything you might know about your Chinese ancestors, perhaps a name or story you’ve heard over the years. One of our researchers will then be in touch about next steps you could take!
I’d love to sign up for the blog. How can I do that?
Awesome! If you scroll down to the bottom of our page, you’ll see a red “Sign Me Up” button. Simply enter your email to receive our updates!
Hai, my purpose is to get ancestry tree name of our family from the beginning of Oey family.
Then what the family name for my sun. My chinese name is Oey Kwan Oen, my father Oey Goan Kiat, my grand father Oey Seng Tek.
I want to give chinese name to my sun is Oey xxx yyy? Thanks