Sweeping for Clues

Qīngmíng (also known as “Tomb-sweeping Day”) 2021 occurred on April 4th; it’s a “festival” when many ethnic Hàn Chinese families return to the gravesites of their ancestors to pay their respects. Patrick Chew delved into the history and background of the festival, examined the potential treasure trove of family history information to be found at the cemeteries, and offered tidbits on Chinese surnames and names.

Patrick Chew is a UC Berkeley graduate with degrees in Linguistics, East Asian Languages and Literatures, specifically Chinese and Altaic languages. Patrick is the Internationalization/Localization Manager at Change.org. When Patrick is not working on languages, linguistics, and technology, he continues his passion for genealogy, which has provided an integral grounding to his own heritage.