Ma Ying-jeou honors ancestors in mainland's Hunan Province

Ma Ying-jeou visits the tomb of his grandfather with his family in Shuangyang Village of Chaensi Town in Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province, April 1, 2023. Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, and his family on Saturday morning visited the tomb of his grandfather in the mainland's Hunan Province and honored the family's ancestors at the site. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

CHANGSHA, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, and his family on Saturday morning visited the tomb of his grandfather in the mainland's Hunan Province and honored the family's ancestors at the site.

The tomb is located in the county of Xiangtan in Hunan.

Ma and his four sisters stood in front of the well-preserved tomb and carried out a solemn ceremony based on local tradition to pay respects to their ancestors. Ma presented flowers and fruits as sacrifices and used a local Hunan dialect when reading an article to honor his grandfather.

After the ceremony, the family took photos at the site.

During an interview, Ma said that over the years he had always wished to visit the site and pay homage to his grandfather, and this wish had now finally been fulfilled. He also noted that cherishing respect for ancestors is "a very important part of our Chinese people's ethical education."

On his visit, when local people greeted him with saying "Welcome home," Ma used local dialect and answered "the Xiangtan boy is back!"

The family also visited a local ferry pier, the construction of which had been financed by Ma's grandfather and other locals in the 1910s, to provide a free ferry service for the public at that time.

Ma Ying-jeou makes a libation in front of the tomb of his grandfather in Shuangyang Village of Chaensi Town in Xiangtan County, central China's Hunan Province, April 1, 2023. Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, and his family on Saturday morning visited the tomb of his grandfather in the mainland's Hunan Province and honored the family's ancestors at the site. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)