-- An overseas Chinese history museum, over a hundred yellowed Qiaopi letters (correspondence and remittance documents from overseas Chinese), more than 10,000 clan genealogical records, and over 20 years of quiet devotion have fulfilled 150 dreams of tracing family roots... In Tong'an, Xiamen, Fujian, stands the Yintong Overseas Chinese History and Culture Museum. It holds not only the stories of Minnan people who ventured to Southeast Asia while keeping their hometown close to heart, but has also become a welcoming stop for overseas Chinese seeking their roots and relatives, bearing witness to and carrying forward the deep bonds of mutual care among the sons and daughters of Silver City.
"It is the bond of the Chinese people that builds a bridge."
An airmail qiaopi sent by Lin Xixi to Chen Mingzong, a later-generation relative of Chen Songshui, is now preserved in the Yintong Overseas Chinese History and Culture Museum. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
Tong'an carries the meaning of "harmony across the four seas." Because the ancient town of Tong'an was shaped like a silver ingot, it is also historically known as "Silver City".
In 1978, a special qiaopi finally arrived in Tong'an after a long, winding journey. Along with it came a handful of yellow soil from Johor, Malaysia, and 350 yuan. More than fifty years earlier, Chen Songshui, an overseas Chinese from Tong'an, fell terminally ill and passed away while working as a bookkeeper in Lin Xixi's shop. Remembering the bond between fellow countrymen, Lin not only set aside part of an auspicious burial plot for Chen, but also sent money and soil from a foreign land to Chen's relatives in China, fulfilling a promise that crossed life and death. In 2023, with Zhuang's dedicated help, the families of Chen Songshui and Lin Xixi crossed mountains and seas to reunite. This qiaopi, a witness to the affection between compatriots, has remained in the Yintong Overseas Chinese History and Culture Museum.
From trust among neighbors to devotion to the nation, the bonds of Tong'an's overseas Chinese have run in an unbroken line. Tan Kah Kee (Chen Jiageng), a prominent overseas Chinese leader from Tong'an, led the Singapore-based South Seas China Relief Fund Union during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. In just over three years, he raised more than 400 million yuan in national currency for China, devoted his fortune to education, and became known as the "banner of the overseas Chinese." Similarly, Ke Chaoyang, a returned overseas Chinese, devoted his life to donating funds for education and bringing prosperity to his hometown, dedicating all his efforts to its development.
Today, Ke Chaoyang's youngest son, Ke Dingfang, solemnly donated a vintage bicycle his father brought back from Singapore in 1957 to the museum. Weathered by time, the bicycle preserves the memory of an era. "Stories on paper can sometimes feel thin, and I hope those who visit the exhibition can actually touch the warmth of that era," Ke Dingfang said during the donation.
"No matter the era, whether in poverty or prosperity, we can always see in earlier generations from Tong'an a spirit of mutual support and deep attachment to their hometown," Zhuang said. "Because we are all Chinese, and it is the bond of the Chinese people that builds a bridge."
"It is these objects, piece by piece, that have given nostalgia a home."
A model of a seven-star net fishing boat, donated by Mr. Xu Youdong from Wu Tiao Gang (Sungai Lima), Malaysia. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
Walking into the exhibition hall of the Yintong Overseas Chinese History and Culture Museum, a fishing boat model is the first thing that catches the eye. This exhibit, filled with nostalgia for the homeland, came from Xu Youdong, a fifth-generation Malaysian Chinese. In 2018, Xu joined the World Tong'an Fellowship Convention as a volunteer. Through an introduction by Lin Yiting, then chair of the Tong'an District Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, he met museum curator Zhuang Zhipeng and, with Zhuang's help, found his ancestral home. To express his gratitude, Xu brought this model of his family's livelihood-earning fishing boat from Malaysia back to China and donated it to the museum. In doing so, he gave a century of drifting nostalgia a tangible place to rest.
Zhuang Zhipeng admitted that while the exhibits in the museum may not be high-value treasures in a conventional sense, it is precisely these objects, piece by piece, that have given nostalgia a home.
“We share the same roots and origins, and walk hand in hand.”
Zhuang Zhipeng (third from left) poses for a group photo with Chinese participants from home and abroad at the plaque-unveiling ceremony of the Public Welfare Root-Seeking Southern Fujian Liaison Office under the Malaysia Yintong Cultural Promotion Association. Photo courtesy of the interviewee.
"I have been in Beijing for nearly three years, constantly missing my hometown. I only hope Auntie will take good care of herself and not worry too much about trivial matters. This is important, very important." These few words, written decades ago, convey a traveler's deepest concern for his homeland and family. They carry more than just history; they are “codes of family affection” connecting people today with earlier generations of their families, and overseas communities with their hometowns.
"Back in 2002, a friend of mine asked for my help to find his relatives in Nan'an. From that time on, I gradually began paying attention to qiaopi letters, clan genealogical records, and biographical directories, which later became the foundation of this museum," Zhuang Zhipeng said. Over more than twenty years, as the written materials he collected grew steadily richer, a "distribution map" of Minnan surnames gradually took shape in his mind.
Chi Yuanrui is one of the people who benefited from this "map." As a fifth-generation Malaysian Chinese, he crossed the ocean to Xiamen four times in eight years. With the help of the local Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, Zhuang, and other warm-hearted people, he searched through historical records, compared clan lineages, and verified DNA results, finally confirming his ancestral hometown and relatives. "What moves me deeply is that although he was born in Malaysia, every time Mr. Chi comes to Tong'an, he always says he is 'returning home' for a visit," Zhuang said.
Today, this small museum often gathers good friends from overseas, and an increasing number of those who received help are actively joining the root-seeking team to lend a hand to the next person on the same journey. "We call this form of mutual help 'hand-in-hand,'" Zhuang said with a smile. "You help me find my roots, and if there is a need in the future, I will help you find yours. Hand in hand, we make the road wider."
At the end of the exhibition area, these words are written: "Although overseas Chinese have settled, flourished, and worked hard in every corner of the world, their deep affection for the motherland and their contributions to the development of their hometowns have remained unchanged... No matter where we are, we share the same roots and origins, and walk hand in hand."
Contact Info:
Name: Lu Yu Hang
Email: Send Email
Organization: Chinese Headline (Xiamen) Media Co., Ltd
Website: https://www.52hrtt.com/global/n/w
Release ID: 89196632
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