Lingnan lineage research for overseas descendants
Trace family roots from surnames to villages.
Lingnan Archive helps overseas Chinese descendants begin a practical search across Xinyi, Western Guangdong and the broader Lingnan heritage corridor using romanized surnames, village clues and ancestral records.
Start Your Search
Enter a surname spelling or begin with a known clue.
Match romanized names with Chinese characters, dialect forms and candidate village clues across Lingnan records.
Starter records
View all surnamesMVP Research Paths
Three practical ways to begin
The first public version stays focused: surname spellings, Lingnan village clues and a clear guide for what evidence to collect before requesting help.
Surname Origins
Start With a Romanized Family Name
Compare Cantonese, Hakka, Mandarin and legacy spellings to narrow likely lineage clues before moving into village records.
Village Clues
Read Place Names Like Evidence
Turn remembered sounds, ancestral tablets and tombstone inscriptions into a shortlist of Lingnan and Xinyi village leads.
Lineage Guide
Know What to Collect First
A practical guide for descendants abroad: names, dates, clan hall terms, generation poems and old migration notes.
Lingnan / Xinyi Focus
Narrow enough to be useful
This MVP does not try to cover all of China. It starts with Lingnan, Xinyi and Western Guangdong so each clue can be checked against a coherent cultural and migration context.
Village clue
Remembered sounds matter
A village remembered as Shui Hau, Shui Kou or Sui Hau may need dialect-aware comparison before it becomes a map pin or a written place name.
Record clue
Tablets, tombstones and old letters
Early evidence is often partial. The site is designed to help descendants organize those fragments before a deeper local lookup.
Lineage Guide
What to collect before asking for help
A lightweight inquiry works best when descendants provide enough context for a preliminary feasibility check.
Ancestor romanized names and possible Chinese characters.
Known county, market town, village sound or clan hall name.
Photos of tablets, graves, genealogy pages or old letters.
Migration destination, estimated departure period and family oral history.
About
A focused heritage index before a larger finder
Lingnan Archive begins as a static, English-first research site for overseas descendants. Chinese-language materials remain part of the research workspace, while public pages explain the path in clear English.
Free Preliminary Check
Missing Your Village Connection?
Share ancestral names, dialect romanization, tombstone photos or remembered village clues for a preliminary feasibility review across Lingnan and Western Guangdong.