China News Service, Haikou, April 8, Title: Overseas Chinese meets Hainan Free Trade Port: "Searching roots is not about going back to the past, but for better connection to the future."

China News Service reporter Zhang Qianyi

"The moment I opened the genealogy, I finally knew where I came from." Recently, 29-year-old Thai Chinese Han Haichou stood in the Han Family Ancestral Hall in Wenchang, Hainan, and for the first time, he truly touched the roots of the family. Although he is not familiar with Chinese and Hainanese, the warmth in his blood keeps him closely connected with his hometown and relatives.

In recent days, three Chinese young people from Hainan, including Han Haichou, have visited many places in Hainan such as Wenchang, Wanning, and Haikou to participate in the theme event of "Overseas Chinese" meeting the Hainan Free Trade Port. While they are searching for their roots, they also discover new opportunities for career development in the construction of the free trade port.

Learn the roots: Touch the history of the family

During the Qingming Festival, Han Haichou made a special trip to Wenchang, the ancestral home to worship his ancestors. "Grandpa always mentioned the story of his ancestors taking a boat to Southeast Asia. Now the family has been rooted in Thailand for a hundred years. This time I set foot on my hometown, every inch of land makes me feel very intimate." He took a photo with his mobile phone to record the ancestral hall, coconut forest and relatives in his hometown. "These images will become the 'letters' shared by me and my relatives in Thailand."

Li Haikun, the grandson of Thai overseas Chinese leader Chen Wenqiu, was also touched. He told China News Network reporters that his grandfather was sent back to Hainan to study Chinese when he was young, and he abides by the family motto of "not forgetting the root" throughout his life. After his career was successful, his grandfather always cared about his hometown and encouraged Thai Chinese youth to learn Chinese, return to his hometown to visit relatives, and maintain blood ties with Hainan.

Influenced by his grandfather’s words and deeds, Li Haikun has devoted himself to learning Chinese in recent years and actively rebuilds his connection with his hometown. "I hope to come back often in the future, not only to visit relatives and friends, but also to have in-depth exchanges with the younger generation here and explore opportunities for cooperation."

In Wanning Xinglong Zhengda Coffee Industrial Park, which has a background in Thailand's overseas Chinese, the strong "overseas Chinese flavor" makes the three Thai Chinese young people feel more intimate. In the 1950s, returned overseas Chinese established the first coffee factory after the founding of the People's Republic of China, deeply rooting the Southeast Asian coffee cultivation skills and fighting spirit in Hainan.

"Thailand also has coffee, but the stories of overseas Chinese behind Hainan coffee touched me even more." Li Haikun sighed. The "remembering the source of water" that the elders often say is best interpreted in these old overseas Chinese; the story of their return home to start a business that year still inspires the younger generation.

Inheritance: Connecting the root veins and the future

The journey of finding roots has also become a journey of business opportunities to explore. He Qihuang, the leader of the Youth Group of the Hainan Association of Thailand, keenly captured development opportunities through frequent exchanges with his hometown. In 2023, he registered a foreign trade company in Haikou, built a multinational food supply chain, and sold high-quality Chinese products to Thailand. Not long ago, 200 Wenchang eggs he introduced from Hainan were successfully hatched on a Thai farm.

"I hope to become a link for youth exchanges between Hainan and Thailand and provide docking services for entrepreneurs from the two places." He Qihuang revealed that he is planning to build an experience farm with Wenchang food culture in Thailand, so that the younger generation can perceive their hometown more intuitively.

From finding the roots of culture to exploring the path of business and travel, these Chinese youths not only continue the cultural bloodline of their families, but also create new situations with a global perspective. They incorporate family memories into the construction of the free trade port and open up new worlds for their careers in inheritance.

Han Haichou told reporters that he founded a potato chip brand in Thailand and its products have been sold to more than 10 countries. After returning home this time, he discovered the policy advantages and market potential of Hainan Free Trade Port: "It is planned to use Hainan as the basis to introduce products into the Chinese market and then radiate to more countries."

As the policy dividends of Hainan Free Trade Port continue to be released, more and more "second generation overseas Chinese" and "third generation overseas Chinese" return home in the footsteps of their ancestors, seeking the roots of culture and pursuing the dream of development. Han Haichou said: "Searching roots is not about going back to the past, but about better connecting the future." (End)