Lee (or Li, depending on the Chinese transliteration) recently edged out Chang (or Zhang) as the largest surname in China, and, therefore, the world.Nearly 500 Lees, representing more than 20 chapters of the Lee family association throughout the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, are meeting in Boston this week for their last family reunion of the millennium.

The family is so big, it even has its own credit union - worth $ 22 million and maintains an extensive array of real estate holdings.

``It's all part of keeping things in the family,'' said Yon Lee, English Secretary of the Lee Family Association of New England.

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 figurineof Lao Tzu sits atop the Lee family temple in the city's Chinatown neighborhood. Lees pay as much as $ 3,000 to have tablets of their deceased ancestors placed in the temple. 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.

But prolific mating is not the reason behind the exorbitant number of Lees in the world.

Steven Lee, national grand president of the Lee Family 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 favoured subjects.

``At that time, it was an honour to be a Lee,'' said Steven Lee. 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 first arrived in the United States to work as laborers on the transcontinental railroad.

Facing ahostile foreign environment, Chinese of similar background or surname formed social support organisations.

``The family association acted like an extended family'' said Wilson Lee, who is president of the New England chapter of Lees.

The associations provided emigrants with everything from food to shelter to medical treatment.

And if a Lee passed away, they would arrange to have his remains sent home. Today, in an age when many Chinese-Americans are quickly losing touch with their heritage, the family associations are seeking to reinvent themselves to avoid extinction. ``What can we offer the young people?'' said Wilson Lee, who hopes to succeed Steven Lee as grand national president. One of his ideas is to establish a host family programme in which young high school-age Lees visiting colleges, for example, could stay with another Lee family.

``We can still serve the purpose of an extended family,'' said Lee. ``We can offer them a home away from home.'' The associations may also play a role in thepolitical future of Chinese-Americans.

In fact, the highest-ranking Asian-American in the Clinton Administration is Civil Rights Chief, Bill Lann Lee.

In Asia, Lees wield even more political clout. There's Lee Teng-Hui, president of Taiwan, Li Peng, former premier of China and Lee Kuan-Yew, former prime minister of Singapore.

With 100 million Lees worldwide - and 100,000 in the United States - the Lee clan hopes to one day be a political force that puts the prominent US family, the Kennedys, to shame.