Genealogy is no match for urbanization

Tracing family roots is increasingly difficult in China as urbanization swallows up temples and graveyards.

"As a kid, my grandfather would take me to the tombs of our ancestors and burn some paper money for them to use in the afterlife," said Cui Yanqing, from central China's Henan province, who now works in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu in east China.

Cui did not make it home this year due to his work schedule, but his father took his place to pay tribute to their ancestors. "I've been living away from my village for a long time and I'm used to it, but I occasionally feel I am wandering. Anyway, the place is not home," Cui said.

He recalled that his grandfather who would stamp the paper money with the top of a bottle to shape them into coins. "People in the past used coins instead of banknotes. The money would be more convenient for them to use this way," Cui quoted his grandfather.

Cui plans to return home next year together with his 9-year-old son, because he wants the child to know his family's history. "Traditionally," explained Zheng Yuguang, vice president of Shanxi Social Psychology Association, "the older generation would pass family stories down to younger ones so they would become part of their family spirit."

Urbanization has separated family members: The aged are in the countryside and younger people in the cities. "This cuts the connection between generations. It has become necessary for people to actively search for their origins," Zheng said.

Ye Zihua, a junior student in southwest China, is a reflection of the phenomenon described by Zheng. He knows nothing about his family history except that his grandfather migrated to Guangzhou from Jiangxi province in east China. "My grandfather died young, and my father does not know much about the family history." Interested in his roots, Ye plans to go to Jiangxi this year to trace his forebears.

Wang Rongduo has hosted dozens of visitors with the same surname as him who all came to ascertain whether they are family. "Many visitors from Shandong or Hebei come to check their family trees with ours to see whether we share the same ancestry," said Wang.

A family tree, or genealogy, includes the history of a family, names of members and family instructions passed from generation to generation. Wang, in his 70s, lives in Binzhou city in east China's Shandong province. He knows the ancestors of residents in his village came from Hongtong County in north China's Shanxi province.

"As living standards improve, people have money and time to do such things," he said.

But for some, there is nowhere to go to pay respects, as urbanization with its many demolition projects has wiped villages, temples and graves from the map.

"The government and society should pay more attention to citizen's spiritual needs," said Zhang Bo, deputy Secretary-General of China Folklore Society. "In this way, we can leave some room for people to worship their ancestors."