Audio: La voce di Roberto Herlitzka legge A proposito della storia di Alberto GianquintoChinese ancestors in ancient and modern China
di Lina Unali e Aiping Zhang
(The following
interview will be published in the Proceedings of the IV Annual Asia and the West Conference This
earth of migrations, immigrations, emigrations produces works of art and
literature, held on April 2004 at The Faculty of Letters, Chair of
English and American Literature,
University of Rome Tor Vergata, Sun Moon Lake, Rome, 2005, eds. Lina Unali, Elisabetta Marino.
During
the round table at the end of the Conference, Lina Unali interviewed Aiping Zhang, born in
She now starts with a quotation of a passage
from the first chapter of the XIV century Romance
of the Three Kingdoms by Luo
Guanzhong, when Liu Bei declares his ancestry to the Imperial Protector:
"When weapons were ready, the troop, now five hundred strong, marched to
Commander Zhou Jing, who presented them to Imperial Protector Liu Yan. When the
ceremony of introduction was over, Liu Bei declared his ancestry, and Liu Yan
at once accorded him the esteem due to a relation". (trans. by C. H. Brewitt-Taylor).
Unali: What can you say on the subject of ancestors
in ancient and modern
Zhang: This ancient practice of
keeping family/clan chronicle is a tradition of ancestor worship and a way to
trace the family/clans genealogy. Chinese culture promotes active ancestor
worship, so descendants can learn about the identity of their ancestors.
Confucius taught responsibility for ancestors, and ceremonies to honour these
ancestors date back to his time (551? - 479? BC). Some Chinese people today
have genealogies that date back a thousand years. For instance, the chronicle
of the clan of Confucius is one of the longest and most complete family
chronicles in
Unali: You oncespoke about
special volumes where the chronicles are kept.
Zhang: Most families keep their
chronicles; it is the eldest sonsì duty to keep it going. Mostly, chronicles
are kept private and circulated only among family members. Only those really
famous families/figures publish their family chronicles and share with the
general public.
Unali: What is the male role within
the family? What is the role of the wife and the daughter? Are they referred to
in the chronicles?
Zhang: The male figure is
the authority in the family. It could be the grandfather or the father,
depending on how many generations of the family are living under the same roof.
If for some reason, the grandfather and father are no longer around, the first
born son takes over. The dominant male figure makes all major decisions on
behalf of the family.
The wife and daughter’s role is always
secondary and subordinate. They have no say in major decisions. The mother might
offer some advice if her son is in control of things, but the mother can never
represent nor speak on behalf of the family. As to the daughter, she has no
role to play at all because she is to be married out sooner or later. That’s
why daughters are not even recorded in the family or clan chronicles.
Unali: Which percentage of Chinese
are still following this ancient custom?
Zhang: Well, hard to say. Without
data from recent scientific surveys, I am not able to put a number on this. But
my sense is that this practice is not completely gone; in many families and
regions, especially in rural areas, people are still doing it.
Unali: Are the chronicles written in
exercise books?
Zhang: Yes, family
chronicles are kept in books, volume after volume, with indication on the cover
for the generations and time periods documented in them.
Unali: Where does the family keep
them?
Zhang: All depends on the
family size and status. For a family or a clan that has multi-generations
living in the same village, the chronicle is kept in its shrine, a kind of
temple and gathering place for the family/clan. Whenever a new baby boy is born
or a new wife is married into the family/clan, they will stage the ritual in
that place, celebrating the new addition of the family member. Whenever a male
family/clan member passes away, the funeral ceremony will be held over there,
too. During the year, the family/clan will sponsor activities and events to
observe all the Chinese holidays in the same place.
Unali: Do these books help the
individual to really identify ancestors, to know something about their
personality, to get acquainted with what they did during their lifetime or only
their name will be finally remembered? In particular, what do you know
about your own ancestors besides their name, about your great grandfather, his
father, etc.
Zhang: Yes. All sons are
told by their fathers and grandfathers about the family/clan traditions and
relationships. One way to keep track of the generations within the family/clan
is the use of the first names. In Chinese, especially in the old days, most of
the first names for boys have two characters. Sons and brothers share the same
first character in their first name; a different generation picks up a
different character. The second character in the first name carries a special
meaning, and the combination of the two characters in a first name carries
other multiple meanings. So, naming a son could be a challenge. You need to
observe the order of his generation on the one hand, and give him a unique name
on the other. By looking at the first character in your first name, the
chronicle will tell you which generation you belong to, and how you are related
to other male members in the family/clan.
The daughters are not documented in the chronicle. Wives are only added beside
the name of their husband in the chronicle.
Major events in the family will be
documented in the chronicle. So, reading through it, you will learn so much
what your father and grandfather did in earlier years. Besides, story-telling
between father and son is always a key component in a young boy's education.
That's how I learned about my father's
earlier experiences. Even though my grandfather passed away when my father was
only nine years old, my father can tell so many stories about his father. And
all these stories have been passed on to me. Despite the fact that I have never
seen my grandfather, I feel I know him so well and he has always been a big
part of my life.
Unali: Do you know of any Chinese
American family devoted to this kind of practice nowadays in the
Zhang: Personally, I don't know. All the Chinese families
that I know in the states are transplanted ones, the families that moved over
from
For my own family, I don't do the chronicle keeping anymore, but the story telling is still going on. I am passing on stories that I heard from my father to Jimmy. It's a way to keep him rooted in the family tradition and legacy.
| Titolo: | Chinese ancestors in ancient and modern China |
|---|---|
| Autore: | Lina Unali |
| Categoria: | Libri di Famiglia |
| Rivista: | Testo e Senso n.7 (2006) |
| Visitato: | 626 volte |
| Scarica in .PDF >>> |  Chinese ancestors in ancient and modern China.pdf |
