OpenKin is a genealogy and cultural preservation platform designed to address the complexity of Chinese diaspora identites.

It provides a system fro recording multiple names, scripts, translitartions, and historical contexts of change, allowing family to reconnect with their heritage across generation and borders

The Chinese diaspora is one of the largest in the world, encompassing more than 10 million individuals born in China who live abroad, and an estimated 45 to 50 million people of Chinese ancestry globally across multiple generations [7], [12]. Its formation is the product of centuries of global history, shaped by economic opportunity, colonial expansion, labor migration, displacement, and political upheaval.

During the colonial era, the decline of the Atlantic slave trade prompted European powers, including the British and the Dutch to implement indentured labor systems, often referred to as the “coolie trade.” Chinese workers were transported under contract to colonies across Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and the Americas, frequently under conditions of coercion, abduction, and abuse [5], [6].

In parallel, voluntary migration expanded in the 19th and early 20th centuries, as individuals sought economic opportunity abroad. This migration was often met with systemic racism and exclusionary legislation. In the United States, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first major law to ban immigration on the basis of race and to deny naturalization rights to an entire group [14]. migration on the basis of race and to deny naturalization rights to an entire group [14]. Similar restrictions were enacted in Canada, Australia, and Southeast Asia, reinforcing the outsider status of Chinese migrants [15].

The 20th century introduced new waves of displacement caused by famine, warlord conflicts, and the Japanese invasion of China. After 1949, the establishment of the People’s Republic of China coincided with Cold War tensions. Under the United States’ containment policy, overseas Chinese communities were often viewed as potential extensions of Beijing’s influence [16]. The “Red Scare” fueled suspicion toward Chinese abroad, linking them with communism regardless of actual political affiliation.

In Southeast Asia, this intersected with local political agendas. In Indonesia, the Sino-Indonesian Dual Nationality Treaty of 1955 required nearly three million dual nationals to choose between Chinese and Indonesian citizenship. By 1960, approximately 390,000 renounced Chinese citizenship to remain in Indonesia [11]. Under President Suharto’s New Order regime, discriminatory measures intensified: Chinese schools were closed, Chinese language and culture were banned in public, and ethnic Chinese were required to carry a Certificate of Citizenship (SBKRI) to access basic services [2]. In Thailand, state policies promoted assimilation by encouraging the adoption of Thai names [10]. In the Philippines, over one thousand residents renounced Chinese nationality in the 1960s [1]. In Myanmar, restrictions on education, land ownership, and business operations marginalized the Chinese population, while the 1982 Citizenship Law rendered many stateless or second-class citizens [1].

Beyond Southeast Asia, two other significant communities are the Korean-Chinese (Joseonjok) and Japanese-Chinese populations. The Korean-Chinese community largely emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, through migration and colonial resettlement. Today, more than 1.7 million ethnic Chinese live in South Korea, and about 1.8 million ethnic Koreans live in China as part of the Joseonjok group, reflecting dual diasporic identities shaped by shifting borders and Cold War suspicion [4], [8]. In Japan, Chinese migrants arrived as traders and students in the late 19th century, with later waves after the normalization of Sino-Japanese relations in 1972. The Chinese population in Japan surpassed 700,000 by the 2010s, making it one of the largest foreign groups in the country [9]. Both groups experienced marginalization but also contributed significantly to local economies, education, and cultural exchange.

Across history, Chinese communities have established themselves in almost every corner of the world. From Southeast Asia to the Americas, from Inner Mongolia and the Russian Far East to Central Asia, Africa, and Europe, migration created enduring settlements. In Central Asia, Chinese merchants became integral to Silk Road economies [1]; in Africa and Latin America, both colonial-era laborers and recent entrepreneurs left lasting legacies [7]. This breadth gave rise to a common saying:

"Wherever you go in the world, you will always find a Chinese community."

It reflects both the resilience and universality of the Chinese diaspora—its ability to endure, adapt, and contribute across vastly different contexts. These overlapping pressures colonial exploitation, economic migration, racist exclusion, civil war displacement, Cold War suspicion, anti-communist persecution, and national assimilation policies explain why diaspora families often carry fragmented identities. Surnames persisted but appeared in multiple romanizations (e.g., Zhang, Chang, Cheung); given names were frequently localized or suppressed; and many families adopted multiple identities simultaneously.

Despite these disruptions, cultural continuity endured. Names, traditions, and heritage survived in private spaces even when suppressed in public. Communities transmitted cultural knowledge across generations, preserving diasporic identity even under pressure.

In today’s world, geopolitical narratives—whether framed as NATO versus BRICS, or U.S. versus China—risk obscuring a deeper truth: diaspora identity transcends politics. The history of the Chinese diaspora demonstrates both vulnerability to structural pressures and resilience in maintaining cultural roots.

OpenKin is motivated by this history. It exists to provide tools for recording and preserving the complex legacies of diaspora names, cultural memory, and identity.

1. Rich Name Documentation
   • Store multiple names per person (Legal, Chinese, Local/Western, Alias, Courtesy).
   • Support multiple scripts (Simplified, Traditional, Korean, Thai, Latin, Japanese, etc).
2. Context Preservation
   • Record the historical reasons for name changes (assimilation, legal policy, migration, personal choice).
   • Include metadata for romanization system, region, and era.
3. Search & Matching
   • Fuzzy and rule-based matching across surnames and transliterations.
   • Equivalence mappings (e.g., 張 → Zhang / Chang / Cheung).
4. Provenance & Privacy
   • Attach sources and evidence (passports, census, oral histories).
   • Strong privacy controls for sensitive data.
5. Diaspora Pride
   • Strong privacy controls for sensitive data.
   • Reinforce that continuity and heritage endure beyond politics.

[1] D. Chirot and A. Reid, Eds., Essential Outsiders: Chinese and Jews in the Modern Transformation of Southeast Asia and Central Europe. Seattle: Univ. of Washington Press, 1997.
[2] C. A. Coppel, Indonesian Chinese in Crisis. Singapore: Oxford Univ. Press, 1983.
[3] W. Look Lai, Indentured Labor, Caribbean Sugar: Chinese and Indian Migrants to the British West Indies, 1838–1918. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1993.
[4] A. E. Kim, “Korean diaspora in China: Identity, cultural politics and state power,” Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 490–512, 2003.
[5] A. McKeown, Chinese Migrant Networks and Cultural Change: Peru, Chicago, Hawaii, 1900–1936. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2001.
[6] D. L. Poston and J. H. Wong, “The Chinese diaspora: The current distribution of the overseas Chinese population,” Chinese Journal of Sociology, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 348–373, 2016.
[7] Y. J. Park, Chinese Migration in Africa. Johannesburg: South African Institute of International Affairs, 2009.
[8] T. Sasaki, “The changing status of Chinese in Japan: From ‘foreigners’ to ‘newcomers,’” Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 35–61, 2009.
[9] W. Skinner, Chinese Society in Thailand: An Analytical History. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press, 1957.
[10] L. Suryadinata, Pribumi Indonesians, the Chinese Minority, and China. Singapore: Heinemann Asia, 1992.
[11] C.-B. Tan, “The Overseas Chinese: History, Culture and Society,” Chinese Southern Diaspora Studies, vol. 10, pp. 1–14, 2018.
[12] E. Barabantseva, Overseas Chinese, Ethnic Minorities and Nationalism: De-Centering China. London: Routledge, 2011.
[13] United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, International Migrant Stock 2024: Key Facts and Figures, 2024.
[14] U.S. National Archives, Chinese Exclusion Act (1882). Washington, D.C., 1882.
[15] B. Wong, Chinatown: Economic Adaptation and Ethnic Identity of the Chinese. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1999.
[16] C. F. Yong, Chinese Diaspora in Southeast Asia under the Cold War. Singapore: Singapore Univ. Press, 1991.