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In the 19th and 20th century, several countries including the United States, Canada and Australia passed laws prohibiting the immigration of Chinese individuals. These laws required that all Chinese entering or re-entering the country had to prove their identity and eligibility or risk being denied entry.

Chinese Exclusion records can refer to immigration case files, certificates of residence and identity, and Chinese exclusion registers that documented Chinese applicants for entry into the country.

A zupu (族谱) or jiapu (家谱) is a clan’s genealogy book or pedigree. It is a privately compiled document written by the clan for the clan. Zupus were both keepsakes for future generations and a way to honor a clan’s ancestors.

Zupus come in all shapes and sizes, from multi-volume collections to tattered sheets of paper stapled together. While their contents may vary, they typically include family trees going back several hundred or even thousands of years, an outline of the origins of the clan and its movements until settlement in the latest place of residence, descriptions of the success of prominent ancestors, clan rules and guidelines, and generation poems.

Census records were historically taken every few years to record changes in the population, and contain a wealth of information including names, date and place of birth, residence address, family situation, occupation, education level and more.

Immigration and travel records are documents created when a person decided to immigrate, travel or become a naturalized citizen of a different country. These records can contain information ranging from date and place of travel, birth place, occupation, residence and even family information.

Record types include:

Birth, marriage and death records include vital records, which are official documents recording key life events in one's family history. They contain information such as the date and place of the event, parents’ or relatives' names, residence, and occuption. The cause of death is also included in most death records.

Because vital records are not publicly available in China, vital records are typically created outside of China, in the country of settlement of Chinese ancestors.

This category also includes tombstones and burial records of overseas Chinese found around the world, which can hold critical information like the names of your ancestors in Chinese and their ancestral village in China.

Association records and directories may refer to business and telephone directories, membership logs for Chinese associations, fundraising lists, student directories, and other records created by Chinese communities.

Chinese newspapers published by overseas Chinese communities hold much genealogical value, serving as rich repositories of historical and familial data. These publications, often circulated among tight-knit communities in various countries, have chronicled significant events like migrations, social gatherings, and personal achievements that are pivotal in tracing family histories and understanding cultural integration processes. They provide unique insights into the lives of ancestors who moved abroad, detailing their struggles, successes, and contributions to their new homelands.

In some regions overseas, local governments kept separate court or criminal records of Chinese residents to monitor their movements or their immigration status.

Military records are valuable for Chinese genealogy, offering detailed personal information such as names, birthplaces, ranks, and service periods. They can provide insights into significant events and experiences in an ancestor's life, helping to fill gaps in family histories. Additionally, these records can trace ancestral movements and connections, especially during periods of conflict and migration, making them useful for constructing family histories.

Financial records may include bank records of Chinese individuals, remittance receipts or other documents recording the financial transactions of Overseas Chinese communities.

Rather than records of specific ancestors, reference and gazetteer records provide contextual and localized information to support your family history research. These include research materials to navigate Chinese naming conventions, geographical reports on the distribution of Overseas Chinese communities, as well as Chinese Gazetteers, created by local governments in the Chinese mainland.