The tides of Xiamen Bay ebb and flow, witnessing a thousand years of history. The old mansions of Jimei Dashe stand tall, bearing a century of overseas Chinese heritage. With origins dating back to the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, this village was not only a major point of departure for the modern migration to Nanyang, but more importantly, the fertile ground where the overseas Chinese spirit was nurtured and the very root from which Jiageng (Tan Kah Kee) culture emerged. From the pure devotion of “loving one’s roots” to the noble commitment of “revitalizing China through education,” what this village bears is not merely a weighty chapter of Xiamen’s overseas Chinese history. More significantly, it stands as a spiritual microcosm of the Chinese nation rising amidst crises and forging ahead through openness, becoming a vital spiritual bond connecting global overseas Chinese with their motherland.
Deep Roots: From Journeying to the South Seas to Rebuilding the Motherland
Along the Minnan coast in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, barren land and constant turmoil left many people of Jimei with little choice but to seek survival abroad. Driven by a desperate desire for survival, they boarded great sailing ships, braving the treacherous waves to seek a livelihood in the distant lands of Southeast Asia. On foreign soil, they built their fortunes with the quintessential Minnan resilience of “daring to win.” Yet their hearts never strayed far from home. This sentiment of “loving one’s roots and benefiting the hometown” found its fullest expression in the overseas Chinese leader Chen Jiageng. In him, the simple love for home was transformed into a profound bond connecting individual destiny with national survival, making him a paragon of modern Chinese intellectuals who sought to save their country through personal commitment.
Witnessing the plight of old China, a fractured land with an unenlightened populace, he came to a clear realization that “education is the nation’s foundation, and fostering schools is the citizen’s obligation.” Consequently, in 1913, he unreservedly donated his savings to found Jimei Primary School, embarking on a decades-long journey of “sacrificing his family fortune to promote education.” He poured everything into constructing the comprehensive Jimei School Village system, from basic to vocational education, and from preschool enlightenment to higher learning. Most notably, when founding Xiamen University in 1921 amidst a severe shortage of funds, he made the solemn vow: “I would rather sell my mansions than give up on Xiamen University.” Through such actions, he wrote an immortal legend in the history of modern Chinese education.
Beyond his lifelong commitment to education, Chen demonstrated even greater patriotic resolve at China’s darkest hour. Following the outbreak of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he initiated the establishment of the Nanyang Overseas Chinese General Association for the Relief of Refugees in the Motherland. By rallying the manpower, material resources, and financial support of tens of millions of overseas Chinese across Southeast Asia, he helped build a solid rear support for China’s war of resistance and was widely acclaimed as “the standard-bearer of overseas Chinese and the pride of the nation.”
In December 1949, upon returning to his hometown of Xiamen after attending the First Plenary Session of the CPPCC in Beijing, Chen Jiageng was warmly welcomed by people from all walks of life, including the Preparatory Committee of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. He spoke with deep passion to local residents and overseas Chinese, vividly describing the new atmosphere of the newly founded People’s Republic of China and igniting their fervor to dedicate themselves to national construction. Inspired by his call, overseas Chinese from Jimei responded with great enthusiasm. Some donated funds to support education, others returned to China to invest, and still others established processing factories and developed subtropical agriculture. They transformed their deep devotion into a robust engine driving the economic and social development of their hometown.
Lasting Legacy: From Safeguarding History to Shaping the Future
Today, walking through the Grand Community of Jimei (Jimei Dashe), people are greeted by cultural landmarks that speak quietly of a century of overseas Chinese history. In Ao Yuan (Chen Jiageng’s final resting place), the bluestone reliefs vividly recount the nation’s arduous journey with exquisite detail; every carving is etched with his enduring patriotic commitment. In Guilai Tang (the Hall of Homecoming), the soaring eaves embody the deep nostalgia of overseas Chinese, serving as a spiritual sanctuary where returnees and their families find emotional anchorage. These Nanyang-style buildings in Jimei School Village blend the elegance of traditional Minnan houses with the grandeur of foreign colonnades, bearing witness to the harmonious fusion of Eastern and Western cultures in this overseas Chinese homeland. These tangible heritages stand not only as witnesses to history but as enduring carriers of Chen Jiageng’s spiritual legacy: Loyalty & Patriotism, Honesty & Perseverance, Diligence &Thrift, Creation and Innovation. They provide a tangible anchor for the overseas Chinese culture of Xiamen.
Spiritual inheritance never fades with time; instead, it finds new life in a new era. Chen Liren (Tan Liat‑in), the eldest grandson of Chen Jiageng, has always shouldered the mission of carrying forward this family spiritual legacy. He has returned to the Jimei Dashe on numerous occasions to retrace his grandfather’s footsteps. He reflected with deep emotion: “My grandfather worked incredibly hard all his life. He put much of his own money into education—not only into building Jimei Schools and Xiamen University, but also into caring about the future and development of the overseas Chinese community in Xiamen.” Today, Chen Liren’s greatest hope is to encourage more young overseas Chinese—especially those with limited exposure to Chinese culture—to come to Jimei through academic exchanges and heritage‑rooted study programs, so that by engaging with overseas Chinese history firsthand, they may experience the richness of Chinese culture and help safeguard the cultural roots of the Chinese nation.
This hope is now being transformed into tangible action. Xiamen regularly hosts summer camps for overseas Chinese youth and organizes “Embrace China” (Qinqing Zhonghua) cultural performances in Thailand and Malaysia, ensuring the Chen Jiageng spirit is passed down through cross-cultural exchange. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Chen Jiageng’s birth, 11 series of commemorative events covering culture, education, and public welfare were launched, bringing this spiritual legacy ever deeper into public consciousness. More inspiring still, the name “Chen Jiageng” has become a spiritual emblem of the new era. The Jia Geng research vessel of Xiamen University ventures into the depths to explore the mysteries of the ocean; the Jia Geng emblem aboard Xiamen Metro Line 1 travels through the city, carrying warmth and remembrance; and Xiamen Airlines flights bearing the Jia Geng name help build bridges between China and the world. In this way, the overseas Chinese spirit resonates with the pulse of the times. As Chen Liren observed, “To make the name ‘Jiageng’ known far and wide requires our collective effort and joint promotion.”
Spanning from Chen Jiageng’s pioneering efforts in education to today’s globally connected Jimei alumni network, and from the fervent wartime support of the past to the continued contributions of the present, the lifeline of overseas Chinese heritage in Jimei Dashe has never been broken; indeed, it has grown ever clearer amid the tides of history. As the core landmark of Xiamen’s overseas Chinese culture, this place not only records a century-long history in which overseas Chinese shared a common destiny with the motherland, but also, in the new era, embraces openness to ensure that the spirit of Chen Jiageng continues to be passed on and shared far and wide. In doing so, it keeps alive the ideal of “rejuvenating the nation through education” and injects a lasting source of spiritual strength into Xiamen’s development as a model overseas Chinese hometown and a modern, international city of high quality, high livability, and distinctive appeal.
