China Cemetery Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Title in the Language of the Record
中國，墓地記錄

Record Description
This collection includes cemetery records from various locations throughout China, Taiwan and Malaysia from 1820-1983. The records include both Chinese nationals and foreigners. Cemetery records include interment records (some from World War II), cremation records, and ossuarium records.

Chinese grave shapes, furnishings, and their symbolic meanings have to be understood within the context of the Chinese world view and of Chinese mythical beliefs in the origin of human life.

The article, China Cemeteries, has more information on the history of the cemetery records.

These records are in Chinese. See the section titled For Help Reading These Records for translation tools.

Record Content
Cemetery records may contain the following information:


 * Name of person buried
 * Date of death
 * Age at death
 * Gender
 * Last place of residence
 * Place of burial
 * Section of cemetery
 * Number of grave

How to Use the Record
To begin your search in the cemetery records, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Approximate year of death
 * Locality of cemetery

Search the Collection
To search by image: To search the collection select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the appropriate "Country" category ⇒ Select the appropriate "Province" category ⇒ Select the appropriate "County" category ⇒ Select the appropriate "Cemetery Name" category ⇒ Select the appropriate "Title and Year" category which will take you to the images.

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

When searching: As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor's given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

For Help Reading These Records
These records are in Chinese. For help reading the records, see the following wiki articles:


 * China Genealogy
 * Chinese Research Helps

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * In some cases descendants would have their ancestors exhumed when they moved to another place and reburied in their new location.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Check for variant spellings of the names.

Related Websites

 * Chinese cemeteries in Australia
 * Government Records Service of Hong Kong
 * Online genealogical resources for Chinese research
 * China Websites
 * China Maps
 * Online histories of China

Related Wiki Articles

 * China Cemeteries
 * China Burial Traditions
 * China History
 * China

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation: