These numbers are impressive, even for experienced genealogists who have compiled a family tree of considerable size, including many generations. The family tree of Confucius, the Chinese philosopher (who is believed to be the acnestor of all those bearing the family name “Kong”), includes more than 2 million (yes, 2,000,000!) names, and stretches over 80 printed volumes.

The descendants of the Chinese philosopher Confucius have just updated their extended family tree, the last update was published more than 70 years ago. Customs in fact demand that the family tree is revised every 30 years, but the terror of the Cultural Revolution forced them to postpone the revision. Kong Ming, a businessman from Shanghai, began researching a particular branch of the family in 1998 when his grandfather showed him the coffin in which he had hidden the family’s records in order to avoid persecution during the Cultural Revolution.

Kong Ming spent more than £40,000 to restore the 800 year-old family records, and he sent out more than 100,000 leaflets and put up posters in the city of Hangzhou to restore lost links. A 16-year-old boy of British-Chinese heritage, the grandson of the clan elder, was flown in from the UK to participate in the ceremony of unveiling the updated family tree. Quite a family tree to build upon!