Village chief returns ashes to ancestral homelands

This year, before Qingming Festival, or Tomb Sweeping Day, fell on April 4, Liu Te-wen, from Taiwan, made several trips to the Chinese mainland.

He hoped to fulfill the wishes of veterans who, after passing away in Taiwan, wanted to have their ashes taken back to their hometowns on the mainland.

On the evening of March 11, Liu landed at an airport in Qingdao, Shandong province, his red backpack bearing the words "Taking you home". Within it was a 12-kilogram urn containing the ashes of a deceased veteran born in Qingdao, who had been stranded in Taiwan since 1947 due to the separation between the two shores.

Upon seeing Liu at the airport, the grandson of the deceased said: "Grandpa, your grandson is here to take you home. Grandpa, you're home."

As Liu stepped forward, the relatives waiting at the airport approached, their eyes shimmering with tears, kneeling down to pay their respects.

Liu carefully took out the urn from his bag and placed it on the ground to signify the return home. The urn, wrapped in red cloth, is a symbol of Liu's belief that homecoming is a joyous occasion.

Liu is the chief of Xianghe village in Kaohsiung, where there used to live nearly 2,000 veterans from the mainland who had no families in Taiwan. The buildings are now empty, a sign that most veterans have passed away.

He handles all matters in the area, but what he cares about most is the lives of the veterans. He arranges regular checkups for them, meal deliveries and organizes various activities during holidays.

During traditional festivals he delivers zongzi and mooncakes, doing everything he can to make them feel at home. Day after day, with his love and care Liu has forged deep bonds with the veterans.