Preface to the Newly Revised Bao Family Genealogy

The Bao Family Genealogy traces its origins to the Ming Dynasty and now spans more than six hundred years. In accordance with long-standing family tradition, the genealogy has been comprehensively revised once every hundred years, resulting in a total of six editions. The final edition was completed in 1924. Today, all six complete volumes are fully preserved at the archives of the White House in the United States of America, where they are treasured not only by members of the Bao lineage but also by scholars of Chinese genealogical culture.

A genealogy exists to clarify lineage, affirm rightful names and ranks, illuminate ancestral virtue, and transmit family teachings. History records the affairs of nations; genealogy records the legacy of families. History reveals rise and decline, while genealogy upholds ethical order and human relationships. The purpose of compiling a genealogy lies not merely in recording surnames and dates of birth and death, but in distinguishing degrees of kinship, ordering generations, strengthening familial bonds, and passing down moral instruction, so that future descendants may trace their origins and conduct themselves in accordance with principle and propriety.

The Bao lineage is deeply rooted and unbroken. Since the founding ancestor first established the family, some descendants devoted themselves to their local communities and the education of their native places; some achieved merit through official service and contributed to the state; some pursued learning and cultivated refinement; and others engaged in industry and commerce, benefiting society at large. Over the centuries, members of the Bao family have upheld ancestral teachings, assuming responsibilities not only within their local communities but also in the broader endeavors of the nation and society. Among Bao descendants are those who succeeded in the imperial examinations, those who served honorably in government, and those who made distinguished contributions in education, industry, and public service. United by loyalty to their country, diligence in their pursuits, and devotion to society, they have worked for national prosperity, the well-being of the people, and the preservation of cultural heritage. Their achievements and spirit have brought honor not only to the family, but also to their era. Thus, the flourishing reputation of the Bao family rests upon the accumulated virtue of its ancestors and is further elevated by the contributions of countless descendants.

The generational naming sequence of our lineage is orderly and well established, as expressed in the following verse:

Virtue guides the lineage and inspires response;
Learning is esteemed, its light extended through generations.
With clarity and wisdom, all walk the righteous path;
Teachings become sound principles.
Virtue is upheld as the great foundation;
Aspirations are continued to sustain ancestral well-being.
May the family’s reputation be greatly revived,
And blessings endure through long ages.

A single character determines one’s generation; righteousness establishes one’s life. Names are ordered with meaning embedded within them. They serve not merely to distinguish rank, but to convey teachings for self-cultivation, family harmony, and good governance.

My name is Bao Daoping. I belong to the “Dao” generation of the Bao family line, derived from the phrase “clarity and wisdom walk the righteous path,” and I am a seventeenth-generation descendant. In my youth, I received family instruction; in adulthood, I encountered great changes of the age. On April 25, 1985, I left China to pursue studies in Canada, where I have since settled. Though living overseas, my devotion to honoring the ancestors, fostering family unity, and remembering our forebears with reverence has never waned.

During my years abroad, I studied at Emily Carr University of Art and Design, majoring in Film, and graduated in 1991. Thereafter, I devoted myself to enterprise:

In 1992, I founded China Capital Ltd., engaging in financial investment.
In 1993, I participated in the investment and establishment of the first toll expressway in Hebei Province, the Shitai Expressway, contributing to transportation development and regional growth.
With the early rise of information technology, I established an international online micropayment system and founded Payston Technologies Corp. (HuiTong Payment), pioneering global online micropayment services.
In 2005, I founded Premier Exhibitions Ltd., an internationally recognized institution integrating science education, cultural presentation, and historical artifact exhibitions. This included the acquisition of 6,500 precious artifacts from the Titanic, and in 2015 the company developed into a NASDAQ-listed enterprise in the United States.
In 2023, I established in North America a one-stop electronic paper and electronic shelf-label technology company, integrating hardware, software, and system services to meet the contemporary needs of large retail chains and commercial enterprises.

Looking back over the past century, the world has undergone profound transformation. In earlier times, travel relied on horse-drawn carriages and correspondence traveled slowly by hand; today, airplanes soar through the skies, high-speed trains race across the land, satellites circle the globe, and information travels tens of thousands of miles in an instant. Wireless networks have replaced messenger birds, and digital technology has reshaped civilization itself. We have personally witnessed China’s deep transformations and observed the global reconfiguration of society—truly an age unprecedented in history.

Yet though the world changes, the roots of the family must not be lost. Though technology advances daily, family values must be preserved. In the old genealogy, due to the limitations of its time, female members were not recorded in the lineage. This was not due to any deficiency in ancestral virtue, but rather to the customs of earlier ages. In today’s world, which emphasizes human equality, men and women alike share the same bloodline and bear the family’s legacy. Their contributions and inheritance must not be disregarded.

This decision is not the private opinion of a single individual. After consultation with Uncle Bao Zhengle and elder cousins Bao Daochu, Bao Daowen, Bao Daoning, and Bao Daoyi, unanimous agreement was reached that, beginning with this revision, all descendants of the Bao bloodline—regardless of gender—shall be fully recorded in the genealogy and listed equally within the generational lineage. This consensus, reached through clan deliberation, is solemnly recorded herein to affirm public trust and endure for generations to come.

I have four daughters, all of whom are recorded in this genealogy. This decision is not motivated by personal or familial preference, but by the demands of justice in our time and the rightful continuation of ancestral tradition. Bloodline does not differ by gender, and ancestral teachings do not distinguish between male and female; this principle reflects the shared essence of ancestral virtue.

Furthermore, mindful that family members are now dispersed across the world and that prolonged neglect of revision may lead to inaccuracies, it was agreed that:

The Bao Family Genealogy shall undergo a comprehensive revision once every one hundred years,
so that its records remain accurate, its lineage orderly, and future descendants may consult it with confidence without losing sight of their origins.

Now, one hundred years into the new century, this genealogy is solemnly revised:
Above, to console the spirits of our ancestors in heaven;
Below, to instruct future generations in how to live and conduct themselves in the world.

May the descendants of the Bao family:
Take virtue as their foundation and learning as their priority;
Regardless of gender, cultivate their aspirations;
Regardless of where they reside, always remember their roots.

Thus may the family’s reputation be renewed and its blessings endure.
A hundred generations hence, when these pages are unrolled and read,
May descendants know where they come from
And understand where they should go.

Respectfully presented.

Dao-generation, Seventeenth-Generation Descendant
Bao Daoping
Written in the Year 2026 A.D.