“Every family has its unique and interesting stories,” explained Christine Loh, chief executive officer of the Hong Kong Civic Exchange and a participant in the recently held Genealogy and Family History Exhibition at the Hong Kong Central Library.
“Through compiling and maintaining family history records, we will be able to develop greater understanding of our families and of our nation,” Loh continued.
The exhibition, organized by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in collaboration with the Genealogical Society of Utah and the Leisure and Cultural Services department of the city of Hong Kong, drew over 5,000 participants.
“I know the Chinese have a long history of maintaining genealogical records, which form an integral part of the ancient literature and serve as an important cultural heritage,” remarked Elder Daryl H. Garn of the Church’s Asia Area Presidency.
The exhibit included presentations from distinguished Chinese scholars, room-size charts explaining family history research, rare genealogy books and catalogs compiled by various national and provincial libraries in China and displays of personal papers, including scrapbooks, journals and photographs.
Luo Wei, a professor at Sun Yat Sen University, and Yang Bao-lin, a genealogy researcher, both from mainland China, summarized vital genealogical information from their numerous professional publications.
Takenori Suzuki, a Hong Kong resident originally from Japan, for example, displayed his grandfather’s journals covering 50 years, as well as his great-grandfather’s journals. His display also included notable Suzuki family documents, letters, family seals and photographs.
On-site computer access enabled participants to search online for ancestors, and then each visitor received a copy of Personal Ancestral File, the Church’s family history research software.
Among the other officials who attended the workshop were Dr. Louis Ng, assistant director of Leisure and Cultural Services, and Elders Donald L. Hallstrom and Anthony D. Perkins, also of the Church’s Asia Area Presidency.
“We hope the exhibition will help promote genealogy culture, foster family unity and enhance family relationships,” Elder Garn said, “as well as help the people of Hong Kong understand and explore the importance of family ties and family history research to the members of the Church of Jesus Christ.”