Cybersia.com Announces Chinese Genealogy Website Launch Xungen.com will unite Chinese families and pass on traditions and values to future generations Singapore, February 29, 2000 /PRNI-HK-AsiaNet/ - Cybersia.com, the leading Chinese genealogy, family and community service provider, today announced the launch of xungen.com. This premium website, available online at (www.xungen.com), hosts a comprehensive Chinese language genealogy center connecting ethnic Chinese users around the world, allowing them to build their family tree, maintain family records and even to search for lost relatives. Family Roots - the essence of being Chinese Xungen is a Chinese word meaning "searching for roots" and illustrates Cybersia.com's mission of being the world's leading Chinese genealogy, family and community service provider. "Ancestry is the essence of being Chinese. Family elders greatly treasure the family Jia Pu and pass on historical documents to continue the legacy of the traditional Chinese family. However, not all Jia Pu are complete for every family. Through the passage of time, family records have been altered, lost or destroyed. Cybersia.com has recognized the desire of Chinese people to uncover their family roots. The Internet, easy-to-use and free-for-all, provides an ideal medium through which to develop our revolutionary system to enable Chinese families to share and securely store genealogy information," said Dr Michael Yang, COO and co-founder of Cybersia.com. Through genealogy, the world's Chinese speaking people can connect with and strengthen their personal family relationships. Xungen.com - a unique methodology Cybersia.com has developed the xungen.com genealogy center using a unique patent-pending methodology of backward data tracing. Xungen.com uses an initial database constructed from the records of the Shanghai Library, the world's largest known collector of Chinese family records. Cybersia.com has concluded an exclusive agreement with the library, providing access to these family records. This agreement has received the endorsement of the relevant authority in China. In co-operation with the Shanghai Library, Cybersia.com is digitizing and uploading this significant database into its extensive online data storage facility. In addition, Cybersia.com has developed its own unique database of Chinese family records through collaboration with leading genealogy experts. Users will contribute to the database by uploading their own family records (Jia Pu) in an easy to use format. This creates safe storage for precious family records, often passed down through many generations. The xungen.com system provides the connectivity to other online families and family members by linking names, origins and generations. It offers comprehensive features that recapture the essence of Chinese traditions and bring Chinese families together. This effort to establish an extensive database of Chinese family records illustrates the power of collaborative genealogy to help family members keep track of their family. "The phenomenal growth of the Chinese Internet market has given us a critical mass of users to whom the world's first online Chinese genealogy service can now be offered. Our advanced technology now gives the world's Chinese speaking people the opportunity to create a permanent record of their family history, one that can be shared with close and distant relatives alike, through the convenient medium of the Internet", said Steve Simpson, President and CEO of Cybersia.com. "The proven stickiness of online genealogy applications will go a long way towards contributing to the ultimate success of xungen.com". With its sister community site, (www.chineseroots.com), users of xungen.com can access a large amount of Chinese-focused content, together with convenient family oriented tools including a name search engine, "Jia Pu" center, family clubs, chatrooms, message boards, photo albums, event listings and even an experts' Q&A facility. Value-added network services and e-commerce activities are under development. Mr Simpson notes that "Xungen.com is a place for Chinese family members to connect with one another in a private environment. This is so regardless of their geographic location". Cybersia.com believes this will be the key to the success of xungen.com. Through these and other features, Cybersia.com aims to promote traditional Chinese culture, endorse the exchange of information, foster the development of family relationships and ultimately forge a closer kinship among fellow Chinese around the world. Xungen.com is a partner of CoolConnect (www.coolconnect.com) for community development. More information can be found at Cybersia.com's corporate website - (www.cybersia.com) About Cybersia.com Inc. Cybersia.com is a global Internet media company committed to being the leading Chinese genealogy, family and community service-provider. It is a specialist in Chinese language Internet space, with two web properties: Chineseroots.com and Xungen.com. Cybersia.com Inc was incorporated in the state of Delaware, USA in May 1999. Its wholly-owned subsidiary, Cybersia.com (SEA) Pte Ltd commenced operations in Singapore in August 1999. About Shanghai Library Shanghai Library is known to possess the largest collection of Jia Pu in the world. Jia Pu is the Chinese family's detailed genealogy record passed down from ancestors. Shanghai Library boasts the genealogy records of 12,000 families totaling 90,000 volumes. The earliest collection dates back to the Song Dynasty in the 14th century. There are records of famous Chinese personalities such as Lu Xun, a well-loved author; and Chiang Kai Shek, a renowned Chinese politician. The Library recently reported the whereabouts of descendants of Dr. Sun Yat Sen, another famous Chinese revolutionary figure. Shanghai Library has set up a research center that restores Jia Pu and studies their origins. Each year, it receives more than 10,000 visitors seeking their roots. Note to Editors: Xungen story ideas may be viewed at www.cybersia.com/xungen_storyideas.htm Screen shots are available by emailing [email protected] Contact: Faye Kuan Corporate Communications & PR [email protected] Phone: +65.4291.209 Mobile: +65.9690.5320 SOURCE: Cybersia.com