Tan Kah Kee heritage tour deepens youths' cultural identity

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."