A few years ago – I was contacted by a friend in China who asked me who this Western person was who has a Chinese surname (‘陳’ or ‘Chan’ the same name as that used in my family). I was intrigued, as the person in question seemingly pronounced the Chinese language ideogram ‘陳’ in exactly the same way as the Chinese branch of my family does, denoting a Hong Kong, New Territories or Guangdong (Cantonese) origination. Indeed, within North China – the ideogram ‘陳’ is usually referred to as ‘Chen’ (particularly in the Putonghua ‘Official’ language usage) – although in the Hokkien dialect of Southern Chinese Fujian province it becomes ‘Tan’ (in Vietnam it is ‘Van’), etc. Historically, and in one way or another we are all related – although the Sai Kung (New Territories) ‘Chan’ people are of ‘Hakka’ – or of Middle to North China origination! Although the Hakka people are part of the Han majority that comprise the Chinese people – there are persistent rumours that in the distant past some DNA influences within the Hakka genetic identity originate outside of North China and could well have involved typically non-Chinese traits (such as those found in Europe and Africa, etc).
