宗族是汉人社会的一个文化表征体系,对于理解空间中国的形成具有重要认识论价值。宗族制度可以到华南、台湾,甚至域外,但在西北却不能向内亚腹地延伸。内蒙古河套平原上的大量汉人移民,大多是走西口的后代,但是他们却不在口外造宗族,而是回归祖籍与老家的同宗人口一起从事宗族活动。这篇简短的民族志报告试图探索口外的汉人何以要回到老家建设宗族。 Clan is a cultural representation system of Chinese society and has important epistemological value for understanding the formation of space China. Patriarchal system can go to South China, Taiwan and even outside the region, but in the northwest can not extend to hinterland. A large number of Chinese immigrants in the Inner Mongolia’s Hetao Plain are mostly descendants of the West Port. However, they did not create the clan outside their mouths. Instead, they returned to their ancestral home and engaged in clan activities together with the same clan population. This brief ethnographic report seeks to explore why Chinese outside the mouth should return to their hometown to build a clan.