In the 7th episode of New Development of Chinese Cultural Intangible Heritage, we visit Chaozhou, a famous hometown of overseas Chinese and a thousand-year-old city rich in intangible cultural heritage resources.

It is commonly said that Chaozhou people can be found wherever there are currents. According to statistics, around 15 million overseas Chinese and their offspring have Chaozhou Prefecture ancestry. Among them, approximately 2.7 million hail from Chaozhou. Thus, people jest that Chaozhou has many branches abroad. During China’s reform and opening-up, a lot of overseas Chinese have taken an active part. They missed their home so much that they sent money back for local economic development. In this episode, through talks with Chinese businesspeople living abroad, we know how native culture has taken root in them and helped relieve their nostalgia.  

How do overseas Chinese serve as cultural ambassadors for China? Wang Rui is the President of the Pilipino-Chinese Chaoshan Fraternity Association. As a Chaozhou native living in the Philippines for years, he finds it important to feel connected with one’s hometown. In his view, when we talk about Chaozhou culture, we are actually talking about our roots. “That’s why I didn’t send my kids to study in the Philippines. I want them to know where their real home is.”

Working overseas, a cup of kung fu tea and a bite of hometown food are the finest remedies for homesickness. Chen Jinchao, the Executive Chairman of the Thai-Asia Economic Exchange Trade Association, has lived in Thailand for many years. Once, he drove a whole hour in Bangkok only for a bowl of Kuey Teow (Chaozhou-style rice noodles).  

Chaozhou’s intangible cultural heritage items, including kung fu tea, cuisine, embroidery, ceramics, carving, sculptures and opera, serve as bearers and representations of Chaozhou culture. “Why are our Chaozhou descendants proud of our hometown?” said Wu Zhimin, a member of the Chaozhou Historical and Cultural City Protection Expert Committee. He believed that it was because they took pride in their heritage, which included the local cultures of cuisine, opera, tea art and architecture. “This heritage is not about how much money we have. It’s about how deep our cultural roots are.”