Library service offers keys to family trees
| By Hu Min | May 15, 2015, Friday |
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| Visitors to Shanghai Library scan computerized documents in the genealogy section for information about their ancestors. Among the many documents to be found at the library is “Xu’s Genealogy from Beiling” (right), which tells the story of how Xu Deqiong, owner of the Rongji Silk Store, won a gold medal for the products he showed at the Great Exhibition in London, England, in 1851. — Ti Gong WU Baole, 75, traveled from Anhui Province to spend his days in the Shanghai Library, researching his family tree. About 20 people use the facility every day, trying to trace their roots. The demand is sometimes so great, especially on weekends, that people have to queue up to access one of the eight computers where family histories are stored. “There has been a boom of interest in genealogy in recent years,” said Gu Yan, a research associate librarian. In some respects, tracing family trees might seem odd in a country where people have traditionally honored their ancestors. But even the annual grave-sweeping holiday of Qingming usually stops ancestor worship in the generation of grandparents. Some people want to go back further. The library has set aside a floor for research, where much of the information is kept on computer files. Older, more fragile documents require handling only by library staff. The information on family trees covers people from all walks of life. Wu’s forefathers going back more than 100 years were Huizhou merchants known as huishang in Chinese. It took him many hours during many library visits to piece together a family history. He is happy that his research was so productive. “I want to leave something for my children, even though I admit the next generation isn’t usually very interested in family history,” he said. “If we don’t leave a record of our own family to our children, what can we leave them?” Since then, Wu has helped friends trace their roots, though not every search is fruitful. In another corner of the genealogy room, local woman Huang Huiwen, who is in her 70s, was glued to a computer. Huang said she was doing the research for her 88-year-old uncle, who is too frail to go to the library but wants to know where he came from before he dies. “Both my uncle and I saw some old family records in our homes years ago, and his memories prompted him to want to find his forebears,” she said. “I’m not that interested in exploring past history, but I’m happy to do it for him.” She has yet to find any family roots but she is not giving up. Library staff said a television program aired during last month’s Qingming Festival, telling people about the genealogy room and how it can help them trace bloodlines caused a spike in people coming to the library to do research. The genealogy service began in 1996, and its archives now cover about 370 surnames. The names Yan and Zeng have relatively complete historical documentation, Gu said, adding that work to gather information on less common surnames is under way. Some of the archives are rich in historical value, such as original family documents belonging to renowned figures like the literary scholar Qian Zhongshu (1910-98) and mentor to Emperor Guangxu, Weng Tonghe (1830-1904). Many old family journals were amassed by the library’s first curator, who during a nationwide search found them collecting dust in bookstores and people’s homes. Some books were salvaged in the 1950s and 60s just before they were set to be turned into pulp at paper mills because people had sold them believing they were useless, Gu said. Others were destroyed during the “Cultural Revolution (1966-76).” The library continues to add to its archives but the cost of historical materials is now rising, Gu said. It is gratifying to her that many people donate old family journals to the collection. A man surnamed Zhang brought several heavy volumes on his family history to the library yesterday at the behest of his nephew. “I want to keep the family history here,” he said. Many people want to share their histories in the hopes that they will provide links to forgotten family bloodlines, Gu said. Others come to the library seeking old title deeds that they want to use in legal cases. While most of the people who visit the genealogy floor are senior citizens, Gu said she also sees interest and curiosity from younger people. It’s a difficult business finding one’s roots. Family relations were sometimes broken during times of political upheaval. Some people don’t even know the names of their grandparents, Gu said. “There are many reasons that can lead to failure in searching for early roots,” she said. “Most people don’t succeed.” The library has Confucius family tree books compiled in the early 1900s, which are among the most complete of the genre, Gu said. “China’s family tree books often give us the history of an entire clan,” she said, adding that the books sometimes contain drawings of where and how a family lived and where ancestors were buried. Source: ShanghaiDaily.com http://www.shanghaidaily.com/metro/entertainment-and-culture/Library-service-offers-keys-to-family-trees/shdaily.shtml |