Taishan has a very homogenous population, though originally they were exclusively Miao, Li, Yao and Thai peoples before being colonised by the Han people from middle and northern China.
There are fourteen different ethnic groups today, with the Han or Chinese predominating at more than 99.95% of the population. The rest are small minority ethnic groups, including Zhuangs, Mongols, Huis, Tibetans, Miaos, Jings, Koreans, Bais, Lis, Dongs, Yaos and Xibes.
There are reputed to be 159 different clan names in Taishan.
The Index of Clan Names by Villages for Toishan District as compiled by the Control Unit Consular Section of the American Consulate General, Hong Kong was compiled in 1963 by village, and can now be searched online by clan name thanks to the Chinese Cultural Center of San Francisco and Dominic Yu. The database for Toishan County is now complete. The clan names mentioned are Au, Bau, Chan, Chau, Cheng, Cheung, Chiang, Chien, Chik, Chin, Ching, Cho, Choi, Chow, Chung, Dai, Der, Fan, Fong, Fung, Gee, Gin, Ho, Hom, Hui, Hung, Jew, Kong, Kung, Kwan, Kwok, Lai, Lam, Lau, Lee, Leung, Ling, Liu, Lo, Lok, Lor, Louie, Lui, Luk, Ma, Mak, Mar, Mo, Mok, Moy, Mun, Ng, Ngai, Ngan, Ning, Nip, Pak, Pang, Poon, Seto, Shum, Sit, Siu, So, Sung, Tam, Tang, Tong, Toy, Tsang, Tse, Tso, Tsui, Wai, Wan, Wei, Won, Wong, Woo, Yam, Yan, Yau, Yee, Yeung, Yim, Yip, Yiu, Yu, Yuen and Yung.
As clans were distinct patrilineal populations, there should be some genetic and linquistic distinctiveness separating them. This is explored in:
American immigration records suggest that most emigrants from Taishan came from the north-east of the county, along the line of the Xinhui-Xinning Railway. This makes eminent sense as that was and is the main transport corridor to and from Guangzhou, Macau and Hong Kong by road and ferry.
This railway was removed during the Japanese War, and has never been rebuilt. However the "T'ai-shan (Sunning) Kwangtung Province China" 1:250,000 topographical map drawn by the US Corps of Engineers in 1948 shows its route.
The line from the Xinhui border travelled south for about 20km to Taicheng Town with a short spur line west to the port of Kung-i-fou on the Tan River. Within five kilometres on either side of this line lie the villages of Heng-ling, Ta-hsiang, Ling-pei, Shui-pu-hsi, Tu-kang, Ma-kang, Hsieh-pien, Pei-k'eng and Ch'ao-?ang-li.
From Taicheng Town, the line continued west to the town of Pai-sha-chiu-hsü. Within five kilometres on either side of this line lie the villages of Ch'ang-an-li, Yung-an-li, Wen-ch'iian-shih, Ch'ü-chin-hsü, San-ho-hsü, Lung-k'ou, Hsi-hua-shih, Chiao-i-t'ang, Hao-tzu-lang, Ch'ang-an-li, Chu-wu, Nan-hsing-li, Hsin-sheng-li, Ch'ao-ching-hsü, Shun-shui, Ta-hai-hsü, Ch'ang-kang-hsü, Tung-hsin-k'eng and Nan-ch'ang-shih.
From Taicheng Town, the line also continued east to the town of Wu-shih-hsü and then south beyond the town of Ch'ung-lou-hsü. Within five kilometres on either side of this line lie the villages of Hsin-an, Shih-k'eng-k'ou, Nan-ts'un, Shih-pan, Ch'iao-t'ou, Chu-wu-p'ai, Kuan-ao, An-ho-li, Wu-ho-li, Chen-t'ou-hsü, Huan-chou, Ch'ung-ling, Ch'eng-ts'un, Hsiu-ts'ai and Ta-t'ang-hsü and the town of Fou-shih. Slightly further away to the south lie the towns of Tuan-fen-hsü and Tu-hu.
These towns and villages should be carefully considered. However more detailed maps do contain many more hamlets than these, and the five kilometre distance is a convenience and has no geographical meaning.
Taishan
Genealogy
Copyright: ©2001-5 Jon Kehrer,
Canberra