Led by Heru Budihartono, chairman of the 9th presidium of the International Association of Fuqing Clansmen, more than 300 presidium members and special guests from more than 30 countries and regions visited Liem Sioe Liong Memorial Hall on 3 April.

One of the key agendas of the 35th anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Fuqing Clansmen cum the 9th presidium member representative conference, the visit aimed to commemorate the association's founding chairman Liem Sioe Liong and promote his patriotism and love for his hometown.

In the afternoon on the day, visitors arrived in 10 coaches. They posed for a group photo at the main entrance before entering the lobby where the first thing they saw was the white marble seated statue of Liem. They then proceeded to the 4 exhibition halls.

Following the guide to each exhibition hall, the visitors listened attentively and paid close attention to exhibits. From grey-haired elders to teenagers of Chinese descent who were not fluent in mandarin Chinese, all demonstrated great respect for Liem and a keen interest in the exhibition. This was particularly so for visitors who came with their children and grandchildren, hoping that by visiting the exhibition hall, the younger generations could understand the history of their ancestors and parents who followed Liem and contributed actively to their hometown.

The visitors lingered longest at Hall 3 and many of them were reluctant to leave. Listed in the Contributions by Fuqing Clansmen section were entrepreneurial experiences of and major public welfare contributions to hometown by 68 entrepreneurs originated in Fuqing. Some of them were members of the previous presidiums of the International Association of Fuqing Clansmen.

Chairman Heru brought his family along this time. In front of his own photo and write-up on display, he spoke to his family, particularly his grandchildren, what he had contributed to his hometown. The family then posed for a photo in front of the display. Other visitors took photos when they spotted write-ups and photos of their parents in the exhibition hall. 

In the International Association of Fuqing Clansmen section in Hall 4, old photos from 20 or 30 years ago attracted visitors’ attention. Looking at the familiar faces in the photos, the visitors recalled the scenes of participating in the activities in those years when everyone was still in their prime and full of energy.

The visitor stood in front of the screen and watched videos of the International Association of Fuqing Clansmen in various places. When they saw Chairman Heru and the permanent honorary president of the International Association of Fuqing Clansmen Alim Markus accompanying Liem attending the inauguration ceremony of the Third Council of the East Java Fuqing Association in 2005, they were visibly excited and recalled various events that Liem participated.

The visit lasted more than an hour but the visitors wished they could spend more time here. Before leaving, Chairman Heru and his entourage took a group photo in front of the seated statue of Liem. Chairman Heru said he would definitely come again.

The visitors were accompanied by He Yujin, member of the Standing Committee of Fuqing Municipal CPC Committee and minister of the United Front Work Department, and Lin Hezhi, deputy mayor of Fuqing.