500-year-old handwritten family tree discovered in north China

SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- A handwritten family tree dating back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was discovered in north China's Hebei Province.

During a recent cultural relics survey, the manuscript was found in a villager's home in Shiliting Town, Shahe City. It recorded the pedigree of the family of Ren and the family's rules and rituals between the Ming Dynasty to the 1920s.

Experts believe that the collection of six volumes was first written in 1520, according to Han Zhigang, director of the city's cultural relics conservation and management bureau.

It is rare to see such a well-preserved family tree in Shahe City, said Ji Tongjun, a folklorist in Hebei.

The manuscript recorded abundant historical information such as geography, environment, and land price, which is of high value for the study of humanities and folk customs in the Ming and Qing dynasties, Han added. ■