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For the first time in two millennia, the overseas descendants of the great ancient philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC) will be included in the sage's family tree.

More than 40,000 overseas descendants have been added to the Confucius Genealogy, which is now undergoing a fifth update and revision, said Kong Dewei, a Confucius descendant who is directing the updating work.

Most of them -- 34,000 in all -- are from the Republic of Korea, Kong said.

The figure also includes 400 from Taiwan, 100 from Hong Kong and 50 from the United States, he said.

There are also a number of Confucius descendants living in places like Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, many of whom are keen to have their names recorded in the new family tree, Kong said.

"We will send people there to contact them and discuss registration issues," he said.

Family trees are an important part of traditional Chinese culture. They record priceless historical information and represent a precious legacy for Chinese people.

Previous versions of Confucius' family tree only included his descendants on the Chinese mainland.

The last revision took place in the 1930s. The new Confucius family tree will be published in 2009, on the 2560th anniversary of the birth of Confucius, and will include more than 1.2 million new entries, bringing the total entries to almost 2 million.

"Including overseas descendants in the family tree will help make them more aware of their roots on the Chinese mainland," Kong said.

"It will also help scholars study the history of descendants who went overseas in previous centuries," he said.

Currently, there are about 3 million people surnamed Kong around the world, including more than a hundred thousand living overseas, Kong said.

"But people with the surname Kong are not necessarily all descendants of Confucius," he said.

If a person surnamed Kong can show a collateral family tree which conforms to the Confucius Genealogy, then the person can be identified as a Confucius descendant, he said.

"But it is difficult for us to accept a person as a Confucius descendant if the person cannot say which family trees he or she belongs to," he said.

Some claimants, who cannot trace their ancestors' connection to the Confucius family tree, were hoping a DNA test would help them verify their identity. However, the team working for the Confucius Genealogy rejected the idea last July, saying that blood tests would not grant inclusion on the family tree.

Aside from adding overseas descendants for the first time, the current revision of the Confucius Genealogy -- the largest ever -- will also include female descendants for the first time. For generations, influenced by the thoughts of Confucius who looked down upon women, the family tree has ignored the second sex.

"The Confucius Genealogy is one of the most influential family trees in the world with a very long history. By updating it, we are not working just for a single Chinese family, but helping preserve the culture and history of the Chinese nation," Kong said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 12, 2007)