On 26 December, the People's Daily Overseas Edition published a special report on Page 06 entitled "A Remittance Letter from Overseas Chinese Bridges Thousands of Miles". The article pointed out, "Remittance letters from overseas Chinese not only supported countless families of overseas Chinese dependents, but also profoundly aided the social and economic development of Fuqing, the hometown of overseas Chinese. After the reform and opening-up, the use of the remittance letters extended from 'a letter and a sum of money' to 'establishing industries, building schools, and constructing roads'. Overseas Fuqing natives represented by Liem Sioe Liong, Sutanto Djuhar, Surya Wonowidjojo, Alim Husin, and Hendra Rahardja supported their hometown's construction by initiating industries, building bridges and roads, and establishing schools and hospitals, helping their hometown shed its reputation as a poor and backward 'sweet potato county'." This report resonated widely after its publication.

This article is a high tribute to the patriotic sentiments and historical contributions of overseas Fuqing compatriots. We repost and share it here, sincerely inviting friends from all walks of life to read it. We also welcome you to visit the Liem Sioe Liong Memorial Hall in person to experience, through physical exhibits and historical materials, the profound and enduring affection for their hometown and the spirit of dedication that transcends mountains and seas.

A Remittance Letter from Overseas Chinese Bridges Thousands of Miles

By Fu Wen, Zhong Ziwei, Wang Guanghui

Staff members of Fuqing Overseas Chinese Museum sorting through remittance letters from overseas Chinese. (Photo courtesy of Fuqing Overseas Chinese Museum)

Some of the letters addressed to "Mr. Lin Huarong". (Photo courtesy of Fuqing Overseas Chinese Museum)

"The magpies sing, the remittance letter arrives, money sent from overseas..." This ancient ballad circulating in the coastal areas of Fujian expresses the heavy homesickness and sense of responsibility behind the remittance letters from overseas Chinese. In Fuqing City, Fuzhou, Fujian, a famous hometown of overseas Chinese in China, tens of thousands of overseas compatriots once used such thin sheets of letter to hold up the hopes of their hometown.

Recently, in a batch of overseas Chinese remittance documents donated by the Bank of China Fuqing Branch to the Fuqing Overseas Chinese Museum, the name "Mr. Lin Huarong" appeared frequently. Who is he? Why were so many remittance letters from different countries sent to him? And over a period of two or three decades?...

With these questions in mind, the staff of the Fuqing Overseas Chinese Museum began to sort through the materials.

The Mystery of "Lin Huarong"

The Secrets and Deep Affections Behind the Remittance Letters

"Lin” (林) is a prominent surname in Fuqing, symbolizing blood ties; "Hua" (华) is taken from the word 'China', signifying the soul of the nation; "Rong" (融) is the abbreviated name for Fuqing, representing a deep affection for the homeland. These three characters together are regarded by overseas Chinese as "the most trustworthy person of Fuqing".

While sorting through the overseas Chinese letters, the staff at the Fuqing Overseas Chinese Museum repeatedly noticed an account name on the envelopes—"Mr. Lin Huarong". This was neither the sender's name nor a typical term used to address elders.

After careful investigation, it turned out that this name did not refer to "a specific person", but was actually a dedicated code used by the Bank of China Fuqing Branch for receiving overseas remittances.

In the 1970s and 1980s, due to policies in some foreign countries, overseas Chinese often couldn’t send money directly to their relatives back home, and even letters had to be written in code. To ensure these funds safely reached their loved ones, the Bank of China Fuqing Branch created a special remittance code for these compatriots: "Lin Huarong".

"Lin" (林) is a prominent surname in Fuqing, symbolizing blood ties; "Hua" (华) is taken from the word 'China', signifying the soul of the nation; "Rong" (融) is the abbreviated name for Fuqing, representing a deep affection for the homeland. These three characters together are regarded by overseas Chinese as "the most trustworthy person of Fuqing" — "to send money to Lin Huarong was to send it back to Fuqing". Thus, countless wanderers abroad entrusted all their concerns for their hometown to this name.

"Their trust in this account reveals a deep-seated attachment to their homeland," said Mao Yinyun, Director of the Fuqing Overseas Chinese Museum. Apart from "Mr. Lin Huarong", dozens of overseas Chinese letters, spanning from the Republican era to the 1990s, are displayed in the museum's Overseas Chinese History Exhibition Hall. Their styles and eras differ, as do the amounts remitted, but what they share is a profound longing for family and hometown.

From supplementing household expenses to building houses and buying land, these letters were filled with the wanderers' longing for home. A simple line like "the family is safe and well, my child, do not worry" offered them the greatest comfort.

The century-old "Six-Span House" in Kengbian Village, Sanshan Town, Fuqing City, is the birthplace of Weng Guoning, Chairman of the Confederation of Toronto Chinese Canadian Organizations. After his ancestors settled in Indonesia, they sent money home through these letters, helping the village build ancestral halls, schools, and roads. In Kengbian Primary School, the teaching block donated by Weng Guoning’s grand-uncle, Weng Xinggen, alongside fellow villagers, still stands tall.

These overseas Chinese letters served as an emotional bridge, connecting overseas Chinese with their families back home. They carried not only the worries of family and country but also the traces of resistance left by heroic overseas Chinese. After the outbreak of the nationwide War of Resistance in July 1937, Chen Jinlai, an overseas Chinese who returned from Indonesia, was tasked with leading the anti-Japanese salvation efforts in Fuqing. 

"Shatter the feudal shackles, embrace freedom and equality as companions. Fight the Japanese invaders, united as one—heroic couples are more than just a few." Chen Jinlai once wrote these lines of wartime poetry on the back of an overseas Chinese letter receipt, inspiring many young people in Fujian to join the tide of resistance. 

A Thin Sheet of Paper Worth A Thousand Gold,

Bears the Devotion of Wanderers Afar to Their Home and Country

Remittance letters from overseas Chinese not only supported countless families of overseas Chinese dependents, but also profoundly aided the social and economic development of Fuqing, the hometown of overseas Chinese. After the reform and opening-up, the use of the remittance letters extended from "a letter and a sum of money" to "establishing industries, building schools, and constructing roads".

A remittance letter from overseas Chinese carries a world of care; a postmark on it holds a heart of sincerity.

As a renowned hometown of overseas Chinese, Fuqing has a vast community of emigrants and their descendants. Generation after generation of Fuqing people have crossed oceans and strived across the world.

A letter from home is worth its weight in gold. Remittance letters from overseas Chinese became almost the only link between overseas Chinese and their families back home during that time. For many families back then, a single letter could mean a year's worth of food, school tuition, or even a life saved.

Ma Yong, an employee of the Bank of China Fuqing Branch, explained that in the early 20th century, these remittances sent by overseas Chinese not only conveyed boundless longing for their loved ones but also became a crucial source of China's foreign exchange income. Around 1930, as war approached, China's export trade was hampered, leading to a sharp decline in foreign exchange earnings. With the government needing to import large quantities of military supplies, the role of overseas remittances became even more critical.

Lin Guohui, now 84 years old, once worked as a remittance delivery clerk at the Bank of China Fuqing Branch. Recalling his delivery days, he vividly remembers: "Mr. Liem Sioe Liong, a prominent leader of overseas Chinese, sent back the most money. One year before the Spring Festival, he sent over 40 remittances. The hall was packed with fellow villagers coming to collect the money, gathered around the square table—it was livelier than the New Year celebrations."

On the wall of the first exhibition hall of the Fuqing Overseas Chinese Museum Liem Sioe Liong Memorial Hall, a sentence states: "It is important to remember our roots." These simple words express Mr. Liem Sioe Liong's heartfelt sentiments and reflect the profound attachment of many overseas Chinese to their homeland.

Remittance letters from overseas Chinese not only supported countless families of overseas Chinese dependents, but also profoundly aided the social and economic development of Fuqing, the hometown of overseas Chinese. After the reform and opening-up, the use of the remittance letters extended from "a letter and a sum of money" to "establishing industries, building schools, and constructing roads". Overseas Fuqing natives represented by Liem Sioe Liong, Sutanto Djuhar, Surya Wonowidjojo, Alim Husin, and Hendra Rahardja supported their hometown's construction by initiating industries, building bridges and roads, and establishing schools and hospitals, helping their hometown shed its reputation as a poor and backward "sweet potato county".

As a result, many "firsts" emerged in Fuqing: the Rongqiao Economic and Technological Development Zone, the first overseas Chinese-funded development zone in China and the first development zone named after "overseas Chinese"; the Yuanhong Investment Zone, the first overseas Chinese cooperative development zone in China and the largest foreign-invested land development project of its time; the Hongkuan Industrial Village, the first overseas Chinese-established industrial village in China; Xialong Wharf, the first port in China jointly built by Chinese and foreign partners; Yuanhong Port, the first seaport in China solely funded and operated by overseas Chinese; and Jiangyin Port, the first large-scale container seaport in Fuzhou's history and the first international-level port in China built with the participation of overseas Chinese. 

According to incomplete statistics, since the reform and opening-up, enterprises directly invested in or facilitated by overseas Chinese, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan compatriots of Fuqing origin number over 1,000, with a total investment exceeding USD10 billion. Additionally, they have donated more than RMB 4.6 billion to public welfare initiatives in Fuqing. 

From serving as a pillar of foreign exchange during wartime to fueling investment fervor in the reform and opening-up era, a remittance letter from overseas Chinese strings together their history of struggle. Relevant departments in Fuqing City have stated that they will continue to delve deeper into the stories within these letters, striving to present a more diverse and multi-dimensional culture of overseas correspondence. This effort aims to showcase to the world the arduous entrepreneurial journey and profound sense of home and country cherished by Fuqing's older generation of overseas Chinese.

Roots in the Hometown,

Hearts Towards the Motherland – Echoes of an Era

The exhibitions inside the Fuqing Overseas Chinese Museum vividly recount the history of Fuqing's emigrants, their journeys abroad, their struggles and entrepreneurship, as well as their moving deeds in serving the motherland and giving back to their hometown. Through extensive physical artifacts and photographic materials, it has become a spiritual landmark for Fuqing people both at home and overseas.

Times have changed, and the number of people sending overseas Chinese letters has dwindled, yet the emotional legacy these letters carry—"the unchanging hometown accent and the unbroken bond with home"—remains as steadfast as ever.

No matter where they are, the second and third generations of overseas Chinese continue to cherish deep ties to their hometowns. They have inherited their ancestors' and parents' love for their homeland, resolutely devoting themselves to the development of their hometowns and contributing the "overseas Chinese strength" to the prosperity of their ancestral homeland.

Not long ago, the China-Indonesia "Two Countries, Twin Parks" Science and Innovation Center was established in Fuzhou, a joint initiative by Indonesia's Salim Group, Fujian Fuyao University of Science and Technology, and the Yuanhong Investment Zone. This cross-border partnership exemplifies the concrete practice of overseas Chinese power in national strategies in the new era. Like a remittance letter from overseas Chinese, it traverses mountains and seas, bringing warmth and strength.

In recent years, Anthoni Salim, son of Mr. Liem Sioe Liong and President of Indonesia's Salim Group, has consistently cared for and supported the development of his hometown. He has donated funds for the construction of the Overseas Chinese Park, the Yuanzai Sports Hall at Haikou Middle School, the teaching block of Yuanzai Primary School, and the supporting facilities of Yuanzai Kindergarten, embodying the spirit of his father's generation through concrete actions.

On 26 December 2020, in a congratulatory letter to the symposium commemorating the 30th anniversary of Fuqing's transition from a county to a city, Anthoni Salim fondly recalled his personal experience of participating in the development of his hometown, Fuqing, alongside his father Liem Sioe Liong. He remarked that his father's selfless love and dedication to their hometown had deeply influenced him. In upholding his father's original aspiration of "making our hometown strong and giving overseas Chinese greater dignity", he has focused on promoting the construction of the China-Indonesia "Two Countries, Twin Parks" initiative.

In recent years, to promote the spirit of overseas Chinese and explore their history, Fuqing has established a cultural hub for the overseas Chinese community, known as "One Museum, One Park" — the Fuqing Overseas Chinese Museum and the Fuqing Overseas Chinese Park. The exhibitions inside the Fuqing Overseas Chinese Museum vividly recount the history of Fuqing's emigrants, their journeys abroad, their struggles and entrepreneurship, as well as their moving deeds in serving the motherland and giving back to their hometown. Through extensive physical artifacts and photographic materials, it has become a spiritual landmark for Fuqing people both at home and overseas.

Relevant officials from Fuqing City stated that they will deeply implement the concept of "broad overseas Chinese affairs", continue to leverage the new role of "overseas Chinese engagement" in the new era, and focus on development needs, the aspirations of overseas Chinese, and the capabilities of overseas Chinese affairs. Efforts will be made to enhance four key aspects: fostering connections and friendships, attracting investment and talent, promoting hometown culture, and providing services for overseas Chinese. By working hand in hand with millions of overseas Chinese compatriots, they will strive to advance the practice of Chinese modernization in Fuqing and accelerate the construction of a sub-central city in the provincial capital.

This article is reposted from: People's Daily client.