Haikou, January 8 (China News Service) -- Title: Ancestral Chicken Soup and Free Trade Port Opportunities: The Two-Way Journey Between Malaysian Chinese and Hainan
The launch of the full island customs closure in the Hainan Free Trade Port has attracted widespread attention from overseas Chinese. Recently, four Malaysian Chinese of Hainanese descent who participated in the first World Hainan Culture and Science Summer Camp reunited in Hainan after 25 years, saying, "It's like keeping a promise to our hometown. No matter how far we go, we want to come back and see where our roots are."
“I knew I was from Hainan when I was very young,” said Fu Quanwen, whose ancestral home is Wenchang, Hainan. When he was a child, his grandmother would talk to him in Hainanese every day, patiently telling him about the climate of Hainan Island, life in Wenchang, and the scene of his ancestors’ old home, Changchun Village, expressing her longing for her hometown. “At that time, I was still young and only had a curious mind about Hainan Island. I didn’t understand why my grandmother always couldn’t help but shed tears whenever she talked about her hometown.”
In 2000, driven by curiosity about his hometown, Fu Quanwen, then a university student, responded to the invitation of the Federation of Hainan Associations of Malaysia to participate in the first World Hainan Culture and Technology Summer Camp, embarking on his first journey back home. During that time, Hainan natives from all over the world gathered in their hometown to pay homage to their ancestors, explore their roots, and plant trees and play ball games with local youth. Amidst the coconut palms and ocean breezes, their hometown was no longer just a place name on a family tree, but a warm and tangible land.
Xing Shiqi is a third-generation Hainanese Chinese. “When I was a child, my grandfather told me that because life was hard in his hometown, he left home alone at the age of eighteen to make a living in Southeast Asia. He ran a small grocery store in Malaysia,” Xing Shiqi said. She recalled that her grandfather would send the money he had worked so hard to save back to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors or renovate the ancestral home during festivals. “My father still continues this tradition to this day.”
Xing Shiqi recalled that 2000 was her first time returning to Hainan, and she made a special trip back to her hometown to visit relatives and pay respects to her ancestors. She was very excited. "In Malaysia, during every traditional festival, my family would also kill a chicken to worship our ancestors, and use the cooked chicken soup and garlic oil to cook chicken rice. The chicken rice was fragrant and delicious."
Returning to Hainan this time, four Malaysian Chinese of Hainanese descent followed in the footsteps of 25 years ago, from Haikou's Qilou Old Street to Wenchang's ancestral home and ancestral hall, from Sanya's blue sea and silver beach to Wenchang's commercial space launch site. Scenes from their memories and the present day kept overlapping and intertwining.
"Back then, when we strolled through the Qilou Old Street in Haikou, it really was just a series of 'old streets.' Now, the 'old streets' are no longer old; they've become interesting and trendy!" Walking through the streets and alleys of their memories and along the coast, gazing at the rocket launch towers that have sprung up in their hometown, and driving along the beautiful island-ring tourist highway, the four couldn't help but exclaim repeatedly—the development of their hometown can truly be described as "leaving no stone unturned."
"This revisit made me realize that Hainan Island is much more advanced than it was 25 years ago," said Luo Ming, who works at the Luo Jiyan Law Firm in Malaysia. He added that visiting the rocket launch site and wind turbine towers in his hometown of Wenchang was awe-inspiring. Twenty-five years later, Hainan is a free trade port open to the world, with skyscrapers rising from the ground, convenient transportation, and an atmosphere of openness and innovation emanating from its azure sea and sky.
The photo shows Xing Shiqi, whose ancestral home is Wenchang, Hainan, visiting the Mulan Bay section of the Hainan Island Ring Road. (Photo provided by Xing Shiqi)
The construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port is providing a stage for talents from Hainan around the world to return home and spread their wings. Among the four, some have already planned to launch projects in Hainan, turning their blood ties and hometown sentiments into development opportunities for both sides to move towards their hometown.
"This time, I visited a law firm to learn about legal matters, and also met with a fellow Hainanese in Malaysia who runs a bird's nest business in Haikou, and a Thai overseas Chinese who runs a gift shop in Qilou Old Street. After returning to Malaysia, I will organize the information and explore business opportunities," Luo Ming said. He added that with the full closure of Hainan Island, the number of people coming and going has increased, trade has developed rapidly, and the demand for foreign-related legal services will be even greater. "There are many business opportunities here."
Chen Xiuxian, a member of the Hainan Association of Taiping, Malaysia, who is engaged in the production and sales of hard drive storage, believes that the Hainan Free Trade Port's policy of exempting domestic sales from tariffs on 30% of the value-added processing fee is very attractive. "If we can set up a factory in Hainan, we can better enhance the competitiveness of our products by taking advantage of the policy, which will help us to explore a larger market."
Xing Shiqi said she has already established a manufacturing and wholesale company in Taiwan, primarily dealing in medical aesthetic products and health foods. In her view, the Boao Lecheng Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in Hainan, as China's only "medical special zone," has great potential in the medical and health industry, and she is considering seeking business cooperation there in the future. Fu Quanwen, who works in the energy industry, said he needs to learn more about Hainan's free trade port policies and will frequently return to his hometown for research.
The reunion of the four individuals after 25 years is not only a personal journey of nostalgia, but also a vivid portrayal of Hainan's rapid progress. As Fu Quanwen wrote in his closing essay at the first World Hainan Culture and Technology Summer Camp: "The future of Hainan Island is something we can look forward to."
China News Service reporter Fu Yuqun
