Chan was born on August 23, 1806 (corresponding to the 10th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar), in King Mui (Jing Mei), a village in the San Woi (Xinhui District) district of Guangdong province in China.[1] He is also known as Din Ying (Chinese: 典英) and Daht Ting (Chinese: 逹庭).