Big Lee Family Clan Gathers In Boston

BOSTON - Imagine a family with almost 100 million members worldwide. Lined up side-by-side for a family photo, the relatives would stretch around the world one-and-a-half times.

The Lee family - or Li, depending on how you transliterate it from Chinese - is so big it even has its own credit union, worth $22 million. It is considered taboo to marry another Lee.

"Technically speaking, when you're married to a Lee, you're not expanding. You're downsizing. You have to bring other surnames into the flock," said Yon Lee, one of nearly 500 Lees here this week for a massive family reunion.

Downsizing doesn't appear to be a problem. Lee recently edged out Chang (or Zhang) as the largest surname in China, and, therefore, the world. There are about 100,000 Lees in the United States.

Lees at the reunion represent more than 20 chapters of the Lee Family Association from the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China.

The Lees are serious about their claim of relatedness. They say they are all descended from the ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism, who lived 2,500 years ago.

A figurine of Lao Tzu sits atop the Lee Family Temple in Boston's Chinatown. Lees pay as much as $3,000 to have tablets of their deceased ancestors placed in the temple.

Steven Lee, grand national president of the association, traces the explosive growth of the family back about 1,300 years to the Tang dynasty, when an emperor named Lee bestowed his surname upon favored subjects.

"At that time, it was an honor to be a Lee," Steven Lee said. "The emperor said, `If you're loyal to me, good soldier, I give you the last name Lee."'

The family association itself dates back to the 1800s, when Chinese arrived in the United States to work on the transcontinental railroad.