Wang Danzhou, Class of 2024, Pharmacy

As a Fuqing native who started the “Volunteer Docent” initiative at the Liem Sioe Liong Memorial Hall, I cherished this opportunity profoundly. During preparations, I repeatedly brought the volunteer team, studying every exhibit in the memorial hall.

My father, a geography teacher, took me through Fuqing’s countryside. Names like "Yuanzai" and "Hongkuan" were etched in my memory since childhood. I once thought them ordinary until my father shared touching stories of Mr. Liem Sioe Liong, who contributed so generously to our hometown. Only then did I realize this land carries such epic history.

To Fuqing’s older generation, diaspora leaders like Liem Sioe Liong and Sutanto Djuhar are revered figures. Their selfless contributions inspired countless overseas Chinese to give back, including funding classrooms at Gangtou Luhua Primary School, where I studied. Yet this legacy fades among youth today. Through this voluntary initiative, I aimed not only to promote Fuqing’s enterprising, hometown-rooted spirit but also to ensure new generations remember those who shaped our home.

Xiao Zhilin, Class of 2024, Clinical Medicine

As a volunteer docent sharing with visitors the life story of Mr. Liem, I truly understood distinguished overseas Chinese’ love for homeland that elders often described, and the profound patriotism behind each act of generosity. Fuqing Yuanhong Teachers Training School Affiliated Primary School that I attended, was itself a gift from Mr. Liem and Mr. Sutanto Djuhar. 

Recalling the donated school building where I studied, characters inscribed on its brick-red walls, I now see how deeply diaspora care permeated my early years. My father often said that behind every desk and textbook that we used lay the deep affection of overseas compatriots. But only when standing in front of the yellowed photos and weathered documents here did I viscerally feel this specific section of history. I not only witnessed how these men built empires from nothing yet used their wealth to support education in their hometown, but also their unwavering dedication to reform and opening up as well as economic development in Fuqing despite of living abroad for decades. 

To be a volunteer docent enabled us to refresh the memory of this heartfelt devotion which has blurred with time. My task was not just revisiting the arduous journey of the diaspora, it was more about making Fuqing’s youth understand that this land was warmed by such profound love; and that our lives today bear the deep expectations of so many.

Weng Zichong, Class of 2024, "5+3” Integrated Clinical Medicine Program (Pediatrics)

As a member of the “Goodwill Support Action” team of Fujian Medical University, I volunteered as a docent at the Liem Sioe Liong Memorial Hall. Standing amid the exhibits and holding the microphone, I was in conversation between the past and the present. Liem Sioe Liong, an overseas Chinese leader in Southeast Asia, lived abroad but kept and devoted to his roots. His patriotism has been crystallized into profound cultural symbols in the exhibition while the narration brings his legacy to life as an inspiring educational story. When explaining to visitors his philanthropic deeds, building schools, paving roads, and constructing bridges, the theme of "Goodwill Support Action" seems to echo through history. From early Chinese diaspora pioneers to today’s students, the flame of benefiting one’s homeland burns eternal.

The volunteer docent experience ignited hearts with its flame. When visitors nodded in gratitude, I knew Mr. Liem’s vision of "serving all under heaven" had become tangible for them. We, future healers, will write the next chapter of these "blessings" on Fuqing’s soil, ensuring the diaspora spirit reverberates through rural revitalization.

Zhuo Mingjie, Class of 2024, Pharmacy           

Before taking on the role of volunteer docent for Fuqing Overseas Chinese Museum Liem Sioe Liong Memorial Hall, we underwent preparatory training. During the preparations, we delved into Mr. Liem’s life – from his arduous Nanyang journey to his unbroken ties with homeland, and refined our scripts repeatedly to share his story accurately and vividly.

This experience means a lot to me. Through preparatory training and time after time retelling, I truly understood the ethos of Mr. Liem - returning to one’s roots and giving back to his homeland. He inspires us to emulate the diaspora leaders, commit to serving the society and give back our hometown. More resolved than ever, we are determined to advance the course of rural revitalization and educational equity, and reinvigorate Fuqing’s diaspora heritage for a new era.

Zhou Jiayi, Class of 2024, Clinical Medicine

When I first arrived in Fuqing, buildings bearing "Yuanzai" appeared everywhere. The recurring name whispered mysteries, planting curiosity: What story lies behind this word?

Preparing for the volunteer practice, I did my research and gained some understanding of Mr. Liem. While his overseas entrepreneur endeavor moved me, his unwavering loyalty resonated deeper. Knowing education was key to transforming Fuqing, he funded over 20 schools, including Fuqing No. 1 Middle School, Yuanqiao Middle School, and Fuqing Health School, across three decades. When I revealed the meaning of "Yuanzai" that once puzzled me to visitors, their eyes lit with understanding. "Yuanzai" was the name of Mr. Liem’s father. By naming projects after his father, Mr. Liem honored paternal legacy.

Stepping out of the memorial hall, "Yuanzai" ceased to be cold lettering. It became an emotional imprint, a wanderer’s love carved into his homeland, a bond spanning oceans, a testament to his belief: Every person has roots - this matters. As the youth of the new era, we must inherit the patriotic spirit and homeland devotion of the diaspora pioneers and carry them forward.