Stories of overseas Chinese

Xue Wenqiang’s farthest journey home for the New Year:

From Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, to his hometown of Fuqing, Fujian, China, Xue Wenqiang, president of the Argentine Chinese and Import and Export Chamber of Commerce, completed A "farthest journey". China and Argentina are more than 20,000 kilometers apart, but no matter how long the distance is, it can't stop the Chinese people from wanting to go home to celebrate the New Year.

It takes 2 and a half hours to fly to Sao Paulo, then another 16 hours to Doha, another 8 hours to Guangzhou, another 1 and a half hours to Fuzhou, and finally a few hours of driving. When he got home, Xue Wenqiang's journey home would take at least two days and two nights.

Being able to go home doesn’t feel like a hardship no matter how far away you are. Xue Wenqiang knows best what it feels like to miss home after coming to Argentina for more than 10 years. In November 1999, Xue Wenqiang and his wife came to Argentina. They worked as decorators, helped in supermarkets, and experienced business failure... In those years, a plane ticket home was an unattainable dream for them.

Xue Wenqiang said frankly that in the first few years after arriving in Argentina, "the Chinese New Year was the saddest time." He still clearly remembers eating beef soup with bread for the “New Year’s Eve” dinner in Argentina in the first year, and then went to the supermarket to help with the stocking after dinner.

At that time, network communication was not yet developed, and he was reluctant to make long-distance calls. Every time a friend came from China, the peanuts and sweet potato sticks brought by his parents from his hometown always made Xue Wenqiang burst into tears.

After working hard overseas for more than 10 years, Xue Wenqiang’s business is getting better and better. He owns several large-scale wholesale supermarkets in the 11th district of Buenos Aires, and the types of imported and exported goods are also increasing. The more. "Afterwards, every Spring Festival got better and better, and going home for the New Year became my motivation."

About a month before returning home, Xue Wenqiang began to prepare gifts for family and friends. Propolis, rose essential oil, olive oil, milk powder...Xue Wenqiang's suitcase is filled with Argentinian specialties. "There is no shortage of anything in China now. These are some of our thoughts overseas."

Although he went home to celebrate the New Year, Xue Wenqiang still decorated his supermarket in Argentina with joy. "Cleaning and dusting, putting up lanterns and colorful decorations, Chinese customs cannot be changed anywhere."

Xue Wenqiang said that the number of Chinese in Argentina is increasing now, and even if they don't go home for the New Year, they won't be so deserted. . The Spring Festival atmosphere in Argentina is getting stronger and stronger. The Chinese Spring Festival Temple Fair in Buenos Aires attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. The Spring Festival is no longer just a festival for the Chinese community.

Another feeling Xue Wenqiang had when he went home for the New Year was the changes in China. A high-speed rail is now connected near my hometown, and the buildings in the village are becoming more and more beautiful. Even my old mother can use WeChat video...

"Being overseas, I am even more proud of China's rapid changes." Xue Wenqiang said.

Extended information:

Chinese:

The exchanges with the Chinese are limited to cultural and economic aspects. After the economic reform and opening up, policies towards overseas Chinese were restored to their original levels and strengthened. In the 1980s, the People's Republic of China tried to actively seek support from overseas Chinese in other aspects, seeking their technology and funds to help development.

Now, many overseas Chinese invest in mainland China, providing financial resources, social and cultural networks, mutual exchanges and opportunities.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Overseas Chinese