The Gin/Yan/Chin/Zhen/ Clan (甄氏)

[Ah Gin]

Fellow travellers: Introducing the Gin Clan 甄氏

The Chinese Surname 甄 is transliterated to many variations, as for example in this non exhaustive list:

Chin, Gin, Ginn, Gyn, Gean, Gen, Gene, Jen, Jin, Ying, Yan, Yen or Zhen

The following are useful links about this clan:

1. Gin Family Official Home Page: ginsunhall.org/

2. Surname listed as Gin, Yan in Village Database www.c-c-c.org/villagedb/search.cgi

3. See also Wiki for brief introduction about the Gin Family Association: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gin_Family_Association

In the postings that will follow, we intend to provide more information about this Clan, its Southern Range (嶺南) Progenitor and the various branches of this Clan.

Regards, Ah Gin

[Ah Gin]

Previously posted. Re Posted here, as it is the logical area:

廣東甄氏族譜

1. 第一分冊：霞坑房。甄氏家譜。卷 二第一分冊。一九九八年續修再版
2. 第二分冊：旺北房。之一為中山家 譜。之二為西宁家譜。
3. 第三分冊：石海房。
4. 石海房：甄紹存祖家譜。
5. 第四分冊：勒沖房。
6. 第五分冊：仙塘房沙塘鎮
7. 第六分冊：恩平、錦平甄氏家譜。
8. 第七分冊：台山市三合、端芬、白 沙、斗山、都斛鎮。
9. 第八分冊：台山市四九、沖萎、台 城、那扶。
10. 第八分冊：台山市西南八鎮。
11. 清光緒十五年重修版：一九八六年 。美國甄舜河堂再版。
12. 無極甄氏族譜簡編

[Ah Gin]

Philip et al,

I view with amazement the long line of connections of Clans with links back to Hung Ti or other famous royal lines. Our Clan is a"small" clan, but according to our Zupu, it is an old clan, with links back to the Great Plains of China. (I am still in the process of acquiring more Clan Zupu from the real heartland and our original ancestral home in Hebei.)

In going through our Zupu, there is a hint of connection to royalty. From your collection and in your heritage travels, have you come across evidence of our Clan links to royalty?

Regards, Ah Gin

[philiptancl]

Hi Ahgin,

I have being following many of your postings this Forum and look at your family homepage. I also take note the collection of your surname zupus that you already possessed and intrigue to see how yours had been compiled. As your surname is not within the current 100 most populous surnames, I have yet to come across a general book specifically for your surname. Besides what already posted in your family homepage, what I have is what was contained in the book on “The Origin of Chinese Surnames” by CHUNG Yoon-Ngan, which is not very much. As I had not come across any lineage chart of your surname, I have often wondered how far back, as of now, you have been able to trace back your pedigree line. Since interacting with others also interested in Chinese genealogy, I seem to sense that some (noticeably some residing in US) are rather sensitive regarding their own genealogical past. As such, though I wondered, I have not ventured beyond the courtesy line of posing that question to you.

I also refer to your posting on Re: Quest for Lin (林) Zupus and Ancestral House « Reply #4 on May 8, 2010, 5:11pm »
Klang, where you came from (and my wife), is no longer a sleepy place any more. Maybe you are talking of the time when there was a pontoon bridge for crossing over Klang River that divides the town into Klang North and Klang South. There now are 3 separate highways that connect Kuala Lumpur and Klang. The Fujian Association Building there must be largest clan association building in Malaysia; capable of holding 150 Chinese dinner tables and about two thousand delegates for convention. There are so many outlets selling "Bah Kut Teh" there that it is said that you could eat at a different place each day, yet you may not able to come round to the first one a year later. Sure, you should indeed revisit Klang again. If you do not have anywhere to stay, be my guest in Kuala Lumpur.


Philip

[Ah Gin]

Philip,

Many thanks for responding to my call for help, in tracing our Clan's Royal linkage. As you noted, our Clan is as small one and has not attracted as much research as other big surnames. I guess the good thing about being small is that, connections between distant relatives are slightly easier to trace. But that is on the assumption that the starting point is sound (or consistent) in the first place, ie, the name of the person in Chinese is indeed the one also listed in the Zupu, and not anyone of his names (eg Milk Name, Book Name etc.) The Colonial Masters also did wonders to Chinese names in general -- in fact other nationalities also -- so we are not unique. At the next Clan Conference in Kaiping, I will again re-engage our Clan Heritage Researchers, as I have come across reports by that group that they traced our pedigree beyond our Southern Progenitor, and that is back to Hebei. Communication between them and myself is not easy, as my spoken Chinese will often provoke laughter, and their "accent" is so heavy that often we have to resort to hand writing in a face-to-face communication, which slows down information transfer. Still, we are lucky, as our Clan do have a Memorial Hall back in Kaiping, and there are tombs in parts of the Central Plain which belongs to branches of our ancestors. The search continues.

Regarding Old Klang, many thanks for your update. I do remember fondly as a young grasshopper, I used to walk across the pontoon bridge and also saw the building of the then double deck bridge across the beautiful Klan River. That structure, I am told, has been turned into a tourist attraction. I have seen the Hokien Association building you mentioned, but only from outside, we we drive to KL. It is indeed a very big building, probably reflecting the wealth of the Hokien folks around Klang and perhaps beyond.

I miss Klang in may ways, remembering the time when it was safe to cycle around town. But now, the volume of traffic makes it risky. Bak Kut teh -- something I still have not seriously tried in Klang. Too fatty lah. But sea food and many hawker food, now that's life.

Re your point about the US Chinese folks and some sensitivities re their family line. That is indeed correct. Think it has to do with the Exclusion Act, Paper Sons, etc. For myself, I am less sensitive to this. Perhaps I am too old to care about what others think or know, as most information can be found if one digs deep enough and knows where to dig.

Your kind offer to camp in your place is noted, and who knows, one day I might have to call on your kind hospitality. But probably more important, if I do have the occasion to visit KL again, I will call on you, to view your private library of Zupu and to chat on may entertaining stories of digging up our rich histories. For the time being I am unable to reciprocate, as we are just in the process of building our new home, and I am told it will take at least 15 months from now. When completed, our guest room, whilst small, will be comfortable for VIPs such as yourself. Meanwhile, if you should visit Melbourne, do let me know, as I can take you to a few Chinese Heritage sites, including a Gin/Yan Village in the State of Victoria that only folks with strange hobbies such as ours will enjoy.

Kind regards, Ah Gin

[twoupman]

Ah Gin,

Based on the material I have on surname Zhen (甄) it identifies its origin came from four different sources.

The first source was derived from surname Gui (媯), the surname of Shundi (舜帝) (2255-2204 BC). In his era pottery (甄) making was a highly regarded craft which his clan and descendants were involved in. It grew to the extent that a place was formally named Zhen Town (甄城) and eventually a descendant of Shundi (舜帝) was named an official of pottery making (甄官). Later, this position of office was adopted by a descendant as his surname. This then was the first derivation of surname Zhen (甄) from surname Gui (媯) via the craft of pottery making more than 4,000 years ago.

The second source was derived from a man called Gaotao (皋陶), a tribal chieftain of the Yan (偃) clan who lived at the time of Zhuanxu (顓頊) (grandson of Huangdi [黃帝]). Gaotao (皋陶) had a second son named Zhongzhen (仲甄) who was an official in the Xia Dynasty (夏朝) and was later enfeoffed to a place called Zhen State (甄國). His later descendants adopted the place name of Zhen (甄) as their surname more than 3,500 years ago.

The third source occurred in the Spring & Autumn Period and was derived from Chen State (陳國) which itself was also of Gui (媯) surname origin through a descendant of Shundi (舜帝) by the name of Gui Man (媯滿)/Chen Hugong (陳胡公). After Chen State (陳國) was destroyed by Chu State (楚國) in 478 BC the descendants of Gui Man (媯滿) adopted Chen (陳) as their surname and all the previous rulers of Chen State (陳國) were posthumously renamed Chen (陳). At that traumatic time when Chen State (陳國) was overrun by Chu State (楚國) a descendant by the name of Chen Tong (陳通) fled Huaiyang (淮陽) in Henan Province (河南省) to Zhou State (周國) where he became a general. The King of Zhou later bestowed upon him the surname Zhen (甄) about 2,500 years ago.

The fourth source came about from a surname change. During the South North Dynasty (南北朝) period the Northern Wei Dynasty (北魏朝) in Luoyang (洛陽) in Henan Province (河南省) had a Xianbei tribe (鮮卑族) whose polysyllabic surname was Yuduzhen (郁都甄). They shortened it by dropping the first two syllables and it became the monosyllabic surname Zhen (甄) about 1,600 years ago.

I trust the above information will be useful to you in your search.


houseofchinn.com

[Ah Gin]

twoupman,

Many thanks your posting. It's most helpful, and with your permission, I like to include your research in our San Francisco Gin Family Home Page, with the appropriate attribution of course.

I have heard of the first and fourth stories about the origin of our surname, but not to that detail. The second and third stories are quite fascinating as well.

Once again, many thanks.

Regards, Ah Gin

[twoupman]

Ah Gin,

Since my last posting, I have found another probable source for the origin of Zhen (甄) surname.

This source was also connected to Chen State (陳國). After the destruction of the Shang Dynasty (商朝) by Ji Fa (姬發) of Zhou State (周國), the first Marquis (Hou [侯]) enfeoffed to Chen State (陳國) by Zhou Wu Wang (周武王) was Gui Man (媯滿) who was a direct descendant of Shundi (舜帝). Gui Man (媯滿) had a second son by the name of Gaoyang (皋羊) who was appointed by Zhou Cheng Wang (周成王) to a place called Zhen (甄) (this was the ancient place where pottery was developed [陶甄故地]) as the official in charge of pottery (Taoguan [陶官] or Zhenguan [甄官] or Taozhenguan [陶甄官]). Gaoyang’s (皋羊) later descendants adopted Zhen (甄) as their surname in lieu of Gui (媯). This second connection with Shundi (舜帝), Gui (媯) surname and Chen State (陳國) occurred over 3,000 years ago.

Also, please look at my PM to you.


houseofchinn.com

[Henry]

Ah Gin,

You probably know about this, but, I came across the following link that cites your website [ www.ginsunhall.org/ ] and has information pertaining to the origin of your clan:

www.yanfamily.ca/english_page/Genealogy%20research%20page_English/chinesegenealogyresearchguide_english.html


It also has a reference to the second edition of:

Research Guide to Chinese Genealogy

I did not even know there was a first edition. But, for $32 CAD ( including tax and shipping) I ordered a copy of this 134 page workbook. Here is the write up on this workbook:

"Until recently, Chinese genealogy had always been a gender specific publication compiled by the elder members to honor their ancestors and pass down as the family heirloom. With massive information collected over a long period of time the composition has exceeded the purpose of a eulogy in highlighting the achievers of the past or motivating the continuation of the famiy traditions. Mere family records keeping has transcended with a wider scope to the history of a clan. The lineage dominant biography provides rich migration data, population distribution, rituals and customs. Its structure mirrors the cultural characteristics of a group of people and models the evolution of a heritage from the collective memory.

Sadly, when a member moves to a country that speaks and writes a different language, the practice of archiving the family recordds is often interrupted by assimilation and integration. This gives rise to issues such as inability to read and write the ancestral language and thus understand the etymology of the family name. It's not uncommon for a family to come to realize after two or three geneations that the last character of their progenitor's given name had been inadvertently registered as the family name. Also, when the member had to assume a different identity due to certain circumstance, the continuity of the family or branch history is also affected. These factors coupled with limitations to Chinese family studies translation are common challenges in Chinese genealogy research.

"Research Guide to Chinese Genealogy" is interwoven with two types of resources: academic and non-academic.

The academic category emphasizes search methodology and information literacy training to government databases, library catalogues, scholarly literature, and electronic sources on Internet. Ultimately, you will have acquired the research tools and skills to locate public records and related materials on Chinese genealogy.
The non-academic category provides a hands-on approach with step-by-step demonstrations; research cases, various cross-reference tables such as Chinese surnames, tombstone inscriptions, Chinese date system, family relationship, keyword search terms, and international Chinese benevolent associations established outside of China to help you in the search of your Chinese lineage.

Where possible, Chinese translation is inserted.

For a copy, please email or visit Global Research and Archival Management [ www.graam.ca/ ] for more information. "



Henry

[winnieyan]

Hi my name is Winnie Yan (甄映媛), I moved to San Francisco from Hong Kong with my family back in 2001. I am very curious to learn about my family history. I have tried to look up the San Francisco Gin Family Home Page, however the website is no longer available. Please advise, thank you! 

[Henry]

winnieyan,

As you are in San Francisco, I suggest you call the Gin Family Association :

Gin Sun Hall Benevolent Association

Address: 747 Clay St, San Francisco, CA 94108

Phone: [phone]


Henry

[Ah Gin]

Winnie , apologies our Gin Clan Web site went to sleep for a while. We are in the process of rebuilding. It is up now but still require a few days work. Pm me if you need help

[kaixin]

Hello! I'm a third generation Gin clan member! I just wanted to post so I could get any resources available about our family history as my Dad doesnt know much and my Grandma was little when she left China. Something that I wonder about is why our family speaks Cantonese yet our surname is transliterated in Mandarin (and so is my first name). Does anyone know why that may be?

[Ah Gin]

I suspect it has to do with family preference in selecting the transliteration choice. Modern preference seems to lean towards PTH ie Mandarin and usually Simplified version. Tradionalists prefer Hoisanwah in preference to Cantonese. At the end of the day it's up to you. Sorry no real answer.

[brandonyan]

Hi all,

My name is Brandon Yan and I'm in Vancouver. Does anyone have any connections to the Yan's Fraternal Society here?