Young overseas Chinese participating in a summer camp retracing the footsteps of patriotic overseas Chinese businessman and philanthropist Tan Kah Kee attend a sharing session in Beijing on Sunday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A summer camp retracing the footsteps of patriotic overseas Chinese businessman and philanthropist Tan Kah Kee held a sharing session in Beijing on Sunday, with young overseas Chinese participants reflecting on how the journey had deepened their cultural roots and strengthened their ties to China.

Wang Linggui, chairman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, said Tan is a great patriot whose spirit embodies the finest qualities of the Chinese nation — unwavering devotion to the nation, perseverance in the face of adversity, commitment to education, solidarity with overseas Chinese and boundless compassion for his homeland.

Wang urged the young participants to carry forward the Tan Kah Kee spirit, preserve Chinese culture and contribute to the nation's rejuvenation.

The camp took participants on a journey through key historical sites. It began in Tan's hometown in Fujian province and continued to the Mausoleum of the Yellow Emperor in Shaanxi province, a sacred site for Chinese descendants worldwide. The itinerary also included Yan'an, Liangjiahe village in Shaanxi, and the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Young overseas Chinese participating in a summer camp retracing the footsteps of patriotic overseas Chinese businessman and philanthropist Tan Kah Kee attend a sharing session in Beijing on Sunday. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Campers shared personal reflections on their experience.

Sim Song Yi from Malaysia said the Tan Kah Kee spirit is not just the spirit of one man — it is the spirit of a generation of patriotic overseas Chinese. "In this glorious group, there was my great-grandfather, there were everyone's forebears, and in the future, there will be us."

Felix Tjhung from Australia said the journey had been deeply educational. "The century-old historical artifacts carry the patriotic devotion of overseas Chinese who crossed oceans to serve their homeland. I will be a young ambassador for China-Australia friendship."

Yiu Tai Yu from Hong Kong Special Administrative Region drew a parallel between the past and the present. In Yan'an, he reflected on how earlier generations crossed the seas to reach Yan'an in search of a path to save the nation. Today, young overseas Chinese come to the Chinese mainland in search of their cultural roots. Different times, but the same feelings for China have never changed, he said.

Hon Kei Hans Lu, a participant based in the Philippines, reflected on a hands-on experience in Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

"I painted a terracotta warrior model. Holding it in my hands, I suddenly felt that each of us overseas Chinese is like this terracotta warrior — we need to paint ourselves stroke by stroke to know where we come from and where our roots are."

来源: China Daily