China - Unusual Resources for Family Research Published in the
Syllabus of the 26th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish
Genealogy in New York, New York, August 2006 Family research for
former residents of China relies on finding resources outside of
China. As with all areas of Jewish genealogical research,
valuable resources have become available in more recent years in
addition to those that existed earlier. Although Judaism was
never a recognised religion in China, today there is a
surprising interest in Jews and Judaism. This follows the
establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Israel in
1992 and close cultural and academic exchanges. Five tertiary
centers of Jewish studies exist. Seminars on the centuries-old
Jewish presence and connection in China, Judaism and Jewish
thought are frequently held. The semi-permanent Jewish
population is now only in the hundreds. Preservation of former
Jewish buildings or landmarks is currently a priority by the
various Chinese civic authorities. The first re