THE CIRCLE OF LIFE – A GRANDSON OF EMIGRANTS RETURNS TO FIND HIS ROOTS AFTER 120 YEARS

My family’s journey of migration spans over a century and across continents, beginning in Kaiping (paternal Grandpa Tham, who migrated around 1916) and Enping (maternal Grandpa Chan, who migrated around 1900). From there, the path led to Calcutta, India, then Tanzania, East Africa, onto Britain, across the Atlantic to Canada, and finally to the USA.

Rediscovering Our Roots

After 120 years of these nomadic travels, I felt a deep yearning to find my roots and create a family history for future generations, so they would never forget where we came from. In November 2019, this journey came full circle when I rediscovered my ancestral villages and reconnected with long-lost relatives from both my father’s and mother’s sides.

The Journey of the Chan Family

This is the story of my maternal Chan family’s journey. We lost contact with our relatives in the Chan ancestral village for 85 years; our long-lost Chan cousins didn’t even know we existed. Similarly, on the Tham side, we lost touch with cousins for over 60 years before rediscovering them through an old photo from around 1965. Researching our family history has been a challenging journey—with dead ends, moments of frustration, and sheer joy when breakthroughs occurred. The joy of reconnecting with both families and seeing our ancestral villages, seemingly frozen in time, has been nothing short of incredible.

Life in Calcutta and Beyond

My grandfathers, Grandpa Chan and Grandpa Tham, migrated separately from the Siyi region to Calcutta, India, in the early 1900s. By chance, they became neighbors and close friends. All of my mother’s generation was born in Calcutta. Grandpa Chan lived in Calcutta from 1900 to about 1937. He was a skilled carpenter who later moved to Tanzania (then Tanganyika), East Africa, in search of work in 1937. The rest of his family followed in 1939. My mom recalls that during World War II, Japanese forces bombed Calcutta. In response, my Grandma Chan took the family by train from Calcutta to Bombay and then by the Blue Funnel ship to join Grandpa Chan in East Africa.

Tragedy and Resilience

All of my generation was born in Tabora, Tanzania. However, life took a tragic turn in 1959 when my father died in a car accident, leaving my mom a widow at 29 with eight children, aged 10 months to 12 years. Despite the hardships, she raised us with remarkable strength. In 1964, my mom moved us to Liverpool, England. After completing school and college, some of my siblings, including myself, emigrated to Toronto, Canada. My career later brought me to the USA, where I now live. So, I consider myself Chinese, African, British, Canadian, and American—a true citizen of the world! When asked where I’m from, I often joke that I’m multinational but wish I were a multinational corporation instead.

The 2019 Journey to Siyi

In November 2019, my cousin from the UK and I traveled to the Siyi area, about 120 miles west of Hong Kong, to find our ancestral villages. Six months prior to that, to our amazement, the Kaiping Overseas Chinese Affairs Office helped locate long-lost relatives after I shared a genealogy chart.

Shuibiancun: The Tham Ancestral Village

We visited my father’s ancestral village, Shuibiancun, but neither my dad’s nor my Grandpa Tham’s names were in the village’s zupu (family genealogy book). We suspect this is because my aunt’s marriage led to my grandma moving to her new husband’s village, breaking the family’s link to Shuibiancun. Despite this, our Ng cousins—descendants of my aunt—confirmed that Shuibiancun was indeed our ancestral village. Sadly, due to disputes in the past, our ancestral home was sold or transferred to neighbors, erasing our family’s official presence in the zupu.

Lianjiangli: The Chan Ancestral Village

On the Chan side, we visited Lianjiangli, my maternal ancestral village. Though my Grandpa Chan’s house no longer stood, the empty lot still belongs to our family. Remarkably, the roof tiles from the original house were reused in the village temple’s reconstruction. My Chan cousins, whom we met after 85 years, warmly invited us to rebuild on the family’s land. Meeting them and exploring the village was a profound and heartwarming experience. The lot’s historical connection and our conversations about shared memories made the experience unforgettable.

The Tang Family in Zhucun

A highlight of our trip was locating my Grandma Chan’s Tang family village, Zhucun, near Shenzhen. Based on scant clues—a name, a photograph, and a map—we identified the village. While much of Zhucun has been replaced by modern developments, we met a 100-year-old elder who remembered my grandma and her brothers. He even corrected dates on my genealogy chart, showcasing his incredible memory. We also reconnected with other relatives, including an 88-year-old cousin of my mom’s, who vividly recalled playing with her as a child. This trip underscored the importance of acting quickly to preserve these invaluable connections and memories.

The Tham Christmas Miracle

In late 2024, five years after our initial trip, I experienced what I call a “Tham Christmas Miracle.” Through an old 1965 family photo, we reconnected with my dad’s Ng cousins, who confirmed our ancestral ties to Shuibiancun. Their insights revealed how my family’s absence from the zupu likely occurred due to the loss of our ancestral plaque during disputes. The zupu’s current details align with our family history, providing closure to a long and challenging search.

Gratitude for Steven Guan and Roots of China

I owe a significant part of this journey to Steven Guan, the creator of this English-language website – Roots of China – that connects overseas Chinese with their ancestral homeland. Steven’s expertise and efforts were instrumental in helping us navigate the complexities of genealogy research in Kaiping and Enping. Steven’s website has been a valuable resource for families like mine who have lost the ability to communicate in Cantonese or Mandarin but still yearn to reconnect with their roots.

A Journey of Discovery and Inspiration

This journey has been an incredible blend of hardship, joy, and discovery. It has allowed me to piece together my family’s history and pass it down to future generations. For those who have not yet explored their roots, I encourage you to take that first step. Reconnecting with your heritage can bring profound meaning to your life and bridge the gap between the past and the present. If you’re inspired to start your own journey, I highly recommend exploring Steven’s website for guidance and support.