Kwan Family Code

With over 1,500 descendants of Kwan Yuen Cheong and Lai Amui, it can be difficult to figure out how each person is related to one another. Luckily, Steve Kwan (6-3-3) came up with the Kwan Family Code (KFC) that has been used since the very first reunion in 2003.

All Kwan Family Code numbers are delineated from Kwan Yuen Cheong, each digit representing birth order. The number of digits in a Kwan member's code denotes the number of generations he or she is from Kwan Yuen Cheong. The first digit in a Kwan member's code refers to Kwan Yuen Cheong’s own children, the next digit refers to his grandchildren, and so on.

For example: Kwan Yuen Cheong's sixth child was Kwan King-Yin (6); Kwan King-Yin's third child was Kwan Sung Tao (6-3); Kwan Sung Tao's third child was Steve Kwan (6-3-3).

Branches

The first number in any Kwan member's code denotes their branch. For example, all Kwans whose code starts with 6 is descended from Dr. Kwan King-Yin, Kwan Yuen Cheong's sixth child; all Kwans whose code starts with 7 is descended from Dr. Kwan King-Leung (7), Kwan Yuen Cheong's seventh child.

Fun fact: In our family, there is no differentiation among female and male offspring in their birth order. (1) Kwan Yuet-Ming was the first-born child and bears code #1 even though her brother, (2) Kwan King-Wan was the first-born son. Most Chinese families split the birth order among the girls and the boys, rendering family tree research confusing and difficult.

Generations

The number of digits in a Kwan member's code denotes their generation. For example, people with four-digit codes are in the fourth generation descended from Kwan Yuen Cheong. Thereforem their children, the sixth generation descended from Kwan Yuen Cheong, have six-digit codes.

Using this system, it is easy to figure out how other family members are related to one another. If one Kwan member has the same first digit in their code as another member, they are in the same branch. If one Kwan member has the same number of digits in their code as another member, they are in the same generation, regardless of age!

Graphic credit: T. Lee