Taiwan deputy seeks family connection across Strait

Nearly 70 years after her grandmother left her hometown in Taiwan, Chen Guijing visited it for the first time.

Chen, the youngest deputy in the Taiwan delegation of the 14th National People's Congress, was born into a cross-Strait family who holds a deep-seated hope for reuniting with family on the island.

"I have only seen my grandmother in photographs — her bright eyes and neatly styled short hair capturing the grace of a typical Taiwan lady," Chen said. Born in Chiayi, Chen's grandmother was the youngest daughter in her family. In 1948, she moved to Sichuan province with her husband, and, after his passing, settled there with their two daughters.

"My grandmother often told my mother about her home in Chiayi, which was located on Wenhua Road near a bustling night market. Before she passed away, she would always say that she longed to return to her hometown Chiayi," Chen said.

This longing for reunion has passed down through generations with Chen's mother always urging Chen to reconnect with their relatives in Taiwan. "Write to them. Write the letter," she would say.

A letter from a relative in Taiwan arrived for Chen's family around 1995. Her uncle, the child of her grandmother's brother, came to the mainland in search of them. The letter was delivered to the foot of the mountain in Bailuding village in Sichuan's Pengzhou city, and in it her uncle mentioned that he planned to celebrate Chinese New Year in Sichuan with them before returning to Taiwan.

However, due to communication difficulties, by the time Chen received the letter it was already March of the following year. She hurriedly dialed the phone number provided in the letter but was unable to reach her uncle. The family connection was lost again.

In 2016, Chen went to Taiwan for the first time. Guided by the address that she knew by heart, she found the old house in Chiayi. As her grandmother had mentioned countless times, it was located right beside a bustling night market. However, the old house had long changed hands, and the whereabouts of her uncle's descendants remained unknown.

Chen said that perhaps she would visit again someday. "It's never too late. I know there are still family members there. Wherever my family is, that is home. My hometown is both Bailuding village and Taiwan Island," Chen said.

Leveraging her cross-Strait heritage, Chen introduces Taiwan's expertise to modernize the tea industry in Bailuding and also helps young people from Taiwan participate in the rural vitalization of Sichuan. By collaborating with Taiwan agricultural specialists and young designers, the village has improved its tea cultivation techniques.

"Better tea quality helps boost local farmers' income," Chen said, adding that community management experiences brought by these Taiwan people are helping local governance.

Among the 13 representatives of the Taiwan delegation, many have unique cross-Strait family histories. They have experienced family separation and are now pursuing reunification. For Chinese people across the Taiwan Strait, many remain deeply aware of their ancestral roots. In recent years, many young people from Taiwan have traveled to the mainland in search of their ancestry.

To preserve and strengthen these connections, efforts are being intensified to collect, organize and showcase archives related to the travel history of Taiwan.

Among them, given the close geographical and cultural ties between Fujian province and Taiwan, with over 80 percent of Taiwan people tracing their ancestry back to Fujian, these initiatives hold deep significance.

During a group discussion of the Fujian delegation at the third session of the 14th NPC, Wang Jinzu, an NPC deputy from Fujian, highlighted the province's efforts to enhance the collection and exhibition of archives documenting the travel of people from the mainland to Taiwan.

He also emphasized the initiative to establish a Fujian-Taiwan genealogy and clan digital platform, aiming to utilize historical context and familial ties to assist more Taiwan compatriots in tracing their lineages, honoring their ancestors and reconnecting with relatives in Fujian.

The importance of cross-Strait integration was highlighted in this year's Government Work Report, emphasizing the advancement of integrated development and collaboration with fellow Chinese in Taiwan to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Contact the writers at shixuefan@chinadaily.com.cn