- Yuan Yida
Yuan Yida (zh-stp|s=袁义达|t=袁義達|p=Yuán Yìdá) is a
researcher from the Institute of Genetic and Developmental Biology at theChinese Academy of Sciences . He is a leading researcher [People's Daily Online. [http://english.people.com.cn/200601/13/eng20060113_235293.html China has 4100 meaningful surnames] . January 13, 2006.] onChinese surnames inmainland China , and has been working on statistical studies of surname distribution in thePeople's Republic of China over the past two decades. He led the research on an updated, 2006 version of theHundred Family Surnames , a text of popular surnames originally published in theSong Dynasty , encompassing 4100 surnames from 296 million individuals in 1110 counties. [Xinhuanet. [http://news.xinhuanet.com/society/2006-01/10/content_4031873.htm 新“百家姓”新鲜“出炉”] . January 10, 2006. zh icon]Yuan Yida was born in
1947 inShanghai , tracing his ancestry toFenghua ,Zhejiang . He spent much of his youth inNingbo , before moving toBeijing and attendingBeijing University . Between1988 and1992 he conducted research atStanford University . In mainland China he has published more than 30 articles and twomonograph s.In 1987, he estimated there were between 12,000 to 13,000 surnames in China.Cnxia.org. [http://www.cnxia.org/html/31/20079362554.html 世界三大姓氏如何统计] . September 3, 2007. zh icon]
He demonstrated that two individuals with the same surname in China could have received that surname from one of several different surnames in an earlier era, casting doubt over the notion that those who share the same surname today would be considered "belonging to the same family five hundred years ago". [Xinhuanet. [http://news.xinhuanet.com/society/2006-01/11/content_4037948.htm 专家解读新版百家姓 “五百年前是一家”不可信] . January 11, 2006. zh icon]
He has remarked that
fortune-telling based on surnames exists in China, labeling it "nonsense". He claimed that research on surnames may invoke patriotic feelings inoverseas Chinese by drawing them closer to other Chinese with the same surname.ee also
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Chinese surname References
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