What does it mean to be a Chinese American?
Would you like to discover more about who you are?
We offer you an opportunity to search for the roots that link you to the past and place you in the present; to journey back to ancestral beginnings, to the land and into the lives of the individuals who created your heritage and influenced you at this point in your life.
The Chinese Culture Center’s “In Search of Roots” Program involves a yearlong commitment on researching one’s Chinese American family history and genealogy. After exploring their Chinese roots in America, participants will explore their roots in China through visiting their maternal or paternal ancestral villages in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong Province. The program culminates in a Chinese New Year exhibition of the interns’ research at the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco, where participants share what they have learned with family, friends, and community.
In Search of Roots is generously supported by Cathay Pacific Airlines and is sponsored by Chinese Historical Society of America and Overseas Chinese Affairs Office in Guangdong Province of the People’s Republic of China. The In Search of Roots Village Database was created in part by generous funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services.
Related Essay and Media Coverage:
- “In Search of Roots” Program: Constructing Identity Through Family History Research and A Journey to Ancestral Land, by Albert Cheng and Him Mark Lai
- Young Americans find roots in China – S.F. program offers history and genealogy, helps locate relatives by Olivia Wu, Chronicle Staff Writer, published on Sunday, February 18, 2007
- One man’s search for past shaped program – Group leader sought his Chinese roots, found his purpose
by Olivia Wu, Sunday, February 18, 2007
The In Search of Roots Program features:
• Workshop: hands-on research equips participant with technique of discovering and recording one’s family history and genealogy.
• Seminar: history of Chinese in America, historical development of China and Guangdong Province.
• Guided visits: Angel Island Immigration Station and U.S. National Archives.
• Two-week journey: accompanied by a counselor to participants’ villages from where their ancestors emigrated.
• Community service: project volunteer work with Chinese Culture Foundation, Chinese Historical Society of America and/or other approved community organizations.
• Networking: explore your Chinese heritage with other young Chinese American and network with those who have completed the program.
In Search of Roots 2012 coverage on KTVU
Highlights from In Search of Roots (Courtesy of Gilbert Lee):
