Do you know the names of your grandparents? How about the names of your great grandparents?
Genealogy, which records the family tree of a clan, solves such doubts.
Mr. Siu Kwok-kin, a genealogy specialist who has been in the field for nearly 20 years, said that the scope of genealogy is not confined to ancestors' names and ages but it also includes a record of a clan.
According to him, systematic genealogies began in the Eastern Chin Dynasty. At that time, people were highly aware of their clan's ranks.
Said he: "People were eager to write something grand about their clans so that their genealogies could be distinguished from the others."
A preface is usually written by a famous person so that the clan's reputation will be enhanced.
Besides, genealogy is necessary on certain occasions, for example, the ancient Chinese examinations.
This is because candidates' family backgrounds had to be verified before the examinations.
Said he: "Teacher's names and their backgrounds had to be stated.
"A candidate would be disqualified if one of the clansmen had broken the law."
Some people recorded their family assets including their farms and lands in it to make sure their descendants would know.
Some genealogies record other clans' disputes and troubles.
He said, "The aim is to remind the descendants not to repeat the troubles."
Usually, sketches of the ancestors' graves are included in the genealogy. Mr. Siu thinks that this is because people in the past did not have much geographical knowledge, so the sketches could help the decendants go there and hold sacrificial rites.
Being the village representative of Tong Fong Tsuen in Ping Shan of Yuen Long, Mr. Tang Kwan-chi keeps the Tang's genealogy concerning the branch in Ping Shan.
The 63-year-old man not only updates the information of recent generations but also changes the traditional writing pattern.
According to Mr. Siu, usually only the males could have copies of the genealogy. The elder of the clan will keep one copy and another copy will be kept in the ancestral hall.
In general, only male descendants are recorded but Mr. Tang also includes female offspring in it.
To write it in detail, he even records the universities they study at.
"It makes the genealogy more complete," he said, "The record was too simple in the past."
In addition, Mr. Siu said that usually adopted sons would not be recorded in the genealogy.
Sometimes if they are recorded, it is clearly written that they could neither sit the examination nor inherit the family property.
As time passes, it is increasingly difficult for people to study or update one's genealogy.
Said Mr. Tang, the villager: "Some people think that genealogy is not important, and some of the elderly are illiterate."
One typical example is an old man who cannot tell Mr. Tang his wife's full name because he always calls her "Ah Kuen".
To genealogy specialists, it is not easy for them to find the most original copy of the whole clan. Even when a copy is found, it takes much effort to study because many writings seems exaggerated.
Said Mr. Siu: "Lots of Lee's clan claim that they are the ' descendants of Lee Sai-man."
Lee Sai-man was an emperor in the Tang Dynasty.
"However, the accuracy can be deduced by clues like the name of official's positions," said Mr. Siu.
For example, when he saw "Master Soldier", which is a military title in the Ming Dynasty, appear in writings in the Tang Dynasty, he knew there might be some mistakes.
Also, he found that genealogies in Hong Kong were incomplete.
He suggested this was because people who moved to Hong Kong had not brought their genealogies together with them.
Later they depended only on their memories and rewrote a new genealogy.
Also, they were not well-educated, hence sometimes they wrote incorrectly and could not express their ideas accurately.
Nevertheless, both Mr. Tang and Mr. Siu think that genealogy has its own value.
Said Mr. Siu: "Usually we study history of the official system about the county, but from genealogy, we can know more about the history of the localities.
In the eyes of Mr. Tang, it is meaningful to read genealogy as the ancestors have spent a lot of effort on it.
Said he: "It is a record of the history of a clan."
