Author page: Steven

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Steven

Roots of China was born from my passion for sharing the beauty and stories of Chinese culture with the world. When I settled in Kaiping, Guangdong—a place alive with ancestral legacies and the iconic Diaolou towers—I found myself immersed in stories of migration, resilience, and heritage. Roots of China grew from my own quest to reconnect with heritage into a mission to celebrate Chinese culture. From artisans’ stories and migration histories to timeless crafts, each piece we share brings our heritage to life. Join me at Roots of China, where every story told, every craft preserved, and every legacy uncovered draws us closer to our roots. Let’s celebrate the heritage that connects us all.

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Historical photograph of Deng Xiaoping, the architect of China's Reform and Opening whose ancestral roots trace to the Deng clan of Guangdong

Chinese Surnames Surname Archive

The Deng Surname: 3,000 Years from the State of Deng to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Name That Was a Kingdom In the eleventh century before the Common Era, a man named Man Gong (曼公) knelt before the Shang king and received a fiefdom in the fertile Nanyang basin of present-day Henan province. The territory was called Deng (邓). For nearly four centuries, the State of Deng (邓国) navigated the…

5 hours ago0Comments

BySteven

Yunhuan Lou and Qiuanjulu Mansion in Zili Diaolou Village, Kaiping — fortified watchtowers funded by overseas Chinese remittances, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Chinese Surnames Surname Archive

The Xu Surname: 3,100 Years from the State of Xu to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Name That Carried 3,100 Years In the eleventh century before the Common Era, a man named Wen Shu (文叔) knelt before King Wu of Zhou and received a fiefdom in the fertile plains of what is now Henan province. The new territory was called Xu (许). Wen Shu traced his lineage to the legendary…

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Chinese Surnames Clan Genealogy diaspora Surname Archive

The Wang Surname: 3,100 Years from Zhou Dynasty Royalty to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Name That Means "King" The Wang surname — 王 (Wáng), simply the Chinese character for "king" — is the second most common surname in the world. One hundred and one million people in China carry it, and an estimated six to eight million more overseas trace their ancestry through it. It is not an…

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BySteven

Interior of a traditional Chinese ancestral hall with plaques and spirit tablets, representing the Nanyang Hall marker that connects every Deng clan branch to its ancient Henan homeland

Chinese Surnames Clan Genealogy diaspora

The He Surname: 3,000 Years from Ancient Han State to the Wuyi Diaspora

In 230 BCE, the armies of Qin entered the capital of the state of Han (韩国). Han, smallest and most vulnerable of the seven Warring States, was the first to fall in the Qin unification campaign. Most royal houses that resisted Qin were exterminated. But members of the Han royal family escaped. Fleeing south from…

4 days ago0Comments

BySteven

Chinese Surnames Surname Archive

The Ma Surname: From Fubo General to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Ma surname (马, "horse") is one of the rare Chinese surnames derived not from a place or a clan but from an official military title — and the martial character encoded in that single character has shaped one of China's most resilient lineages for over two thousand years. During the Warring States period (475–221…

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The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, a site of pilgrimage for Sun clan descendants worldwide and a symbol of the surname's revolutionary legacy and diaspora pride.

Chinese Surnames Clan Genealogy diaspora Surname Archive

The Sun Surname: 3,000 Years from Ancient Le’an to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Sun surname (孙) traces its roots to three ancient Chinese noble lineages — the Ji (姬) clan of the Zhou dynasty, the Mi (芈) clan of Chu, and the Gui (妫) clan of Qi — converging over three millennia into a single name now carried by 18 million people worldwide. Among Chinese surnames, Sun…

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BySteven

The Yunhuan Lou diaolou in Zili Village, Kaiping — one of the fortified towers built with remittance money from overseas Chinese, now a UNESCO World Heritage site and key stop on Yang roots tours.

Chinese Surnames Surname Archive

The Yang Surname: 3,000 Years from Zhou Dynasty Royalty to the Wuyi Diaspora

A Name That Carried Across the Pacific The Yang surname (杨, Yáng) is the 6th most common surname in China, carried by approximately 40 million people worldwide. It traces its origin to the court of King Wu of Zhou (周武王, Zhōu Wǔ Wáng) in the 11th century BCE, making it one of the oldest continuously…

July 15, 20260Comments

BySteven

Traditional Chinese clan genealogy document showing generational records, similar to those maintained by Zhao clan associations in Taishan

Chinese Surnames Clan Genealogy diaspora Surname Archive

The Zhao Surname: 3,100 Years from Imperial China to the Wuyi Diaspora

Every Chinese person who has ever learned to read has memorized the same four characters: 赵钱孙李 — Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li. These are the opening words of the Hundred Family Surnames (百家姓, Bǎijiāxìng), the most famous roster of Chinese names in history, compiled during the Song Dynasty (宋朝, Sòng Cháo, 960-1279 CE). For a millennium,…

July 14, 20260Comments

BySteven

Chinese Surnames Surname Archive

The Lin Surname: 3,100 Years from Shang Dynasty Loyalty to the Wuyi Diaspora

A Heart Cut Open: The Birth of the Lin Surname In the final years of the Shang dynasty, around 1100 BCE, a minister named Bi Gan (比干) walked into the palace of King Zhou (纣王) knowing he would not walk out. King Zhou was a tyrant — the last ruler of a dying dynasty, notorious…

July 13, 20260Comments

BySteven

Chinese Surnames Clan History Surname Genealogy

The Chen Surname Wuyi Diaspora: From Yingchuan to the Seven Sons

Water Has Ten Thousand Branches but One Source 56| In 1225 on a hillside in northern Guangdong, one man gathered his family and made a pact. His name was 陈辉 (Chén Huī), honorifically called 凤台公 (Fèngtái Gōng, Honorable Fengtai). He was a Song-dynasty jinshi (进士), the highest imperial examination degree, who served as Imperial…

July 13, 20260Comments

BySteven

The Wang Surname: 3,100 Years...

The Xu Surname: 3,100 Years f...

The He Surname: 3,000 Years f...

The Ma Surname: From Fubo Gen...

The Yang Surname: 3,000 Years...

Author page: Steven

The Wang Surname: 3,100 Years...

The Xu Surname: 3,100 Years f...

The He Surname: 3,000 Years f...

The Ma Surname: From Fubo Gen...

The Yang Surname: 3,000 Years...

Steven

The Deng Surname: 3,000 Years from the State of Deng to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Xu Surname: 3,100 Years from the State of Xu to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Wang Surname: 3,100 Years from Zhou Dynasty Royalty to the Wuyi Diaspora

The He Surname: 3,000 Years from Ancient Han State to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Ma Surname: From Fubo General to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Sun Surname: 3,000 Years from Ancient Le’an to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Yang Surname: 3,000 Years from Zhou Dynasty Royalty to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Zhao Surname: 3,100 Years from Imperial China to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Lin Surname: 3,100 Years from Shang Dynasty Loyalty to the Wuyi Diaspora

The Chen Surname Wuyi Diaspora: From Yingchuan to the Seven Sons

The Wang Surname: 3,100 Years...

The Xu Surname: 3,100 Years f...

The He Surname: 3,000 Years f...

The Ma Surname: From Fubo Gen...

The Yang Surname: 3,000 Years...