Frequently Asked Questions

About the Project

What is ChinaRoots?

ChinaRoots is a non-profit digital humanities project dedicated to digitizing and presenting Chinese local gazetteers (fangzhi), making local history and culture accessible to a broader audience. We write in-depth research articles that transform the historical information embedded in ancient texts into narratives that modern readers can easily understand.

Why was this project created?

China’s local gazetteer corpus is one of the world’s largest historical documentary systems, yet most of it lies buried in libraries and archives, inaccessible to ordinary people. Through digitization and popularization, we aim to bring this invaluable cultural heritage “to life”—serving the root-seeking needs of the global Chinese community and providing a reference for humanities researchers.

Who runs ChinaRoots?

ChinaRoots is maintained by a group of volunteers passionate about history and digital technology. Team members have multidisciplinary backgrounds in history, geography, computer science, and more. The project founder can be reached at yumuxu@gmail.com.

About the Content

What are local gazetteers?

Local gazetteers (fangzhi / 地方志) are comprehensive records of a specific region’s history, geography, customs, notable figures, economy, and more, often described as “the complete history of a locality.” As the saying goes, “A nation has its histories, a region has its gazetteers, a family has its genealogies”—gazetteers are an essential component of the Chinese cultural lineage. The earliest surviving gazetteers date back to the Han Dynasty, and the Ming-Qing period was the golden age of gazetteer compilation.

Is the content reliable?

We reference primary sources and authoritative publications whenever possible, and cite our materials within articles. However, due to the inherent complexity of organizing ancient texts, variant readings across editions, and the limitations of historical research, all content is for reference only and does not constitute academic conclusions. If you identify any errors, we welcome your corrections through our contact page.

What regions does the content cover?

Currently, we primarily cover Fujian Province (including Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Fuzhou, Putian, Wuyishan, etc.), Taiwan, and parts of Guangdong. We plan to gradually expand to Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, and other provinces.

How is content categorized?

We classify content along two dimensions: region (categories) and theme (tags). Regions include Fujian, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Taiwan, Fuzhou, etc. Themes cover medicine, education, economy, clans, dialects, archaeology, and more.

About Usage

Can I republish your content?

Our original content is welcome for academic citation and public-interest dissemination, but please ensure proper attribution with a link to the original page. Unauthorized reproduction for commercial purposes is prohibited. For licensing inquiries, please contact us through our contact page.

Why are there Chinese and English versions?

Considering the pressing needs of overseas Chinese communities (especially in Southeast Asia and North America) to learn about their ancestral homeland’s history and culture, we provide both the original Chinese text and English translations to eliminate language barriers and promote cross-cultural understanding. English versions are carefully translated and reviewed to faithfully convey the meaning of the Chinese originals.

Is this website free?

Yes, all content on the ChinaRoots website is freely accessible to the public. We sustain server and operational costs through limited advertising (Google AdSense).

Can I browse on mobile?

Yes. The site uses responsive design and provides a good reading experience on desktops, tablets, and mobile phones.

About Participation

How can I participate in the project?

We welcome like-minded individuals to participate in various ways:

  • Content Contributions: If you have valuable historical materials or family documents to share
  • Technical Collaboration: Technical support in website development, data processing, OCR recognition, etc.
  • Translation Assistance: Helping translate Chinese content into English or other languages
  • Academic Collaboration: If you are a gazetteer researcher, we welcome academic partnerships

Please reach out through our Contact page.

How can I support the project?

You can support us in the following ways:

  • Share our articles
  • Cite our content (academic citation)
  • Provide feedback and suggestions
  • Participate in volunteer work

About Technology

What technology does the site use?

This site is built with the Hugo static site generator and deployed on a static hosting platform, ensuring fast loading and high security. The site integrates Google Analytics for traffic analysis and Cloudflare for content acceleration and security.

How do I report site issues?

If you encounter issues such as broken pages, broken links, or image display problems, please report them via yumuxu@gmail.com or our Contact page.

Does the site have RSS?

Hugo automatically generates RSS feeds. You can find the RSS subscription link at the bottom of the page, or access it directly at /en/index.xml.