As a first generation Canadian who arrived from Hong Kong in 1968 and successfully established here in Canada, I have always been asked about my “Roots”.
作為一個1968年來自香港在此生根的第一代加拿大人，我一直有被人問到我的“原生地(根)”。
Chinese people like to ask their new acquaintances: “Where is your Ancestral Home (Village) located?”
中國人喜歡問他們的新相識朋友: 你鄉下响邊處?你從那裏來的?你的籍貫?你的祖籍?
I have an answer for that! (Guangdong Province, Zhong Shan County, China) but I know that my Canadian born children cannot provide one themselves.
我有答案!但我知道我在本地出生的兒女並沒有(答案)。
More than that of a series of charts and lineage, an Ancestral Registry chronicles the history and accomplishments of one’s ancestors. These events and deeds can be an inspiration for future generations as well as providing a sense of pride for past ancestral achievements. The Registry also pinpoints the ancestral region to facilitate those who would like to physically seek out their “Roots” someday.
不單止是一堆的圖表及線路，一個族譜表列祖宗的歷史及成就。這些事件和事情會成為後代的鼓勵和驕傲。族譜並且精列出祖宗的出處地區,對想尋根的後代有莫大的幫助。
Just for the record, I counted a total of four major migrations for the nineteen (19) generations listed on this Registry. The four brothers from Generation#2 moved away from the initially settled village to a remote area. Then, the eighth generation ancestors moved again to another village . Eventually, the fourteenth generation ancestors established residences in both their home village and the then British Crown Colony of Hong Kong. Finally, many of the sixteenth and seventeenth generation members immigrated and dispersed all over Canada, USA, and the United Kingdom.
在這族譜中羅列的十九代歷史中,一共有四次主要的大遷徙。第二代的四兄弟由最初落腳的鄉村搬到一個荒蕪的地區。後來,第八世的袓宗再遷徙到中山的會同村。然後,第十四代的祖先在香港(當時為大英帝國的殖民地)及會同都擁有居所。最後,不少的十六和十七世成員移居到加拿大,美國及英國。
The maintenance and up keeping of an Ancestral Registry is not an easy task, especially one with expanding and migrating memberships. It may not be practical to cover all branches of membership growth and concentration may have to be dedicated to the most “direct” branch of the lineage. The electronic copy of this Registry on the Internet may help to advance its maintenance and access to other clan members and these are the motivations for my task.
族譜的維修和更新不是一件易事，尤其當成員不繼的擴大及移居外地。一個實際的做法就是只專注於＂直系＂的枝流。在亙聯綱上數碼化了的族譜對更新保存和家族成員進接有很大優勢，這就是我做這事的一個動機。
To start this project, I researched into the Chinese dynasty based calendar system and worked out their correlation with the western calendars. I also have to look into the origins of our surname and other relevant historical and geographical facts for use with the web site. Finally, I have to translate ancient Chinese scripts from copy of the original Ancestral Registry. The Chinese version of articles are typically accompanied by the English version for those of our descendants who cannot read Chinese writing, in particular, old scripting language.
這項目開始的時候，我研究了中國皇朝的歷法與西曆的對照。我亦找尋們莫姓的源流和其他歷史地理事實作為綱上之用。最後，我從真本的族譜中翻譯了古文的譜序。這綱上的資料都是中英並用，以供我們不能閲讀中文（尤其古文）的後裔之用。
Mr. Wah Loeng Mok (a distant uncle) has been most helpful in providing scanned copies and electronic copies of some of the pages in the original registry along with some valuable photographs from his side of the family.
莫華亮先生（我的堂叔）供應了一批巳數碼化的族譜文件，及一些他的家庭照片，對這項目有很大的幫助。
It is unfortunate that only “male” members were recorded in the Registry in the past. There is an effort to start including “female” members in a supplemental Registry from the fifteenth generation onwards. As part of the project, they will be included later.
不幸地，只有＂男＂的家庭員被列入了族譜。由第十五代開始，有一些＂女＂成員也有被羅列在內。她們會被包括在將來的項目之內。
In viewing the charts, you will notice that only Chinese names were used for the obvious reason that most members do not have English names. All eldest children are placed to the right of the “branch”, with the second eldest to the left of him so on.
在世系圖中，只有中文的名字因大部份的成員都沒有英文名。兄弟出生的次序都是從右邊開始向左排列（即長孑由右開始）。
At this time, you can extract detailed history on the main lineage of my ancestors by clicking on the links. Visitors can also contact me here if they wish to obtain information on “other” ancestors.
現在，你只需點擊世系圖中我的直系祖先就可得到詳細的資料。訪客也可聯絡我取得其他祖先的資料。
I hope that my effort to pass this valuable gift to the Mok Clan, my children and their children (someday) will last for perpetuality but that would be just wishful thinking. Someone has to bear the torch and continue the unfinished work, destined to go on forever as long as there are volunteered carriers.
我希望我的功夫去存留這寶貴禮物給莫氏宗親和我的子孫會永遠流傳，但這只是痴人說夢。始終這都需要一些有心人去繼承任務，不停的去完成一個長流不息的項目。
– 2009 (17th generation) Robert L.Y. Mok
– 二OO九年（十七世）禮業