'Gym boss' traces Lai's ancestral roots to Fujian

A Taiwan internet influencer, Chen Chih-han, known as "Guan Zhang", or "gym boss", has stirred debate after traveling to Fujian province to trace the ancestral roots of Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te, who has sought to distance the island from the mainland.

Chen, who arrived on Monday in Xintian village in Pinghe county, located in Zhangzhou, livestreamed his visit to the ancestral temple of the local Lai clan, where he was warmly received.

About 80 percent of Taiwan residents trace their ancestry to Fujian, as many people from the province emigrated to the island during the Ming and Qing (1368-1911) dynasties. However, Lai, of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, has claimed that people in Taiwan are not Chinese, seeking to sever the island's cultural and historical ties with the mainland.

During the livestream, Lai Hanzhong, secretary-general of the local Lai Clan Association, presented Chen with a family genealogy book. It showed that ancestors of the local Lai clan began migrating to Taiwan in the eighth generation, with the 14th generation settling in Yunlin county, Lai Ching-te's hometown.

"Anyone with the surname Lai is Chinese and part of the Han ethnicity. This is undeniable," Lai Hanzhong said.

Chen also used the livestream to address Lai Ching-te directly, urging him to reflect on his family's ancestral teachings, which include the principle that "unfilial people commit sins against heaven".

Lai Hanzhong recalled a 2018 visit to Taiwan, where he met with Lai Ching-te's relatives, who acknowledged their ancestral ties to Pinghe in Fujian's Zhangzhou. He also displayed a group photo taken with them.

Chi Chia-lin, honorary chairman of Taiwan's Reunification Alliance Party, said Chen's act was "fresh and unique", aimed at reminding Lai Ching-te of his roots and the shared bloodline across the Taiwan Strait.

Hsiao Hsu-tsen, vice-chairman-designate of the Chinese Kuomintang party, said in an interview with Taiwan media that 72.8 percent of Taiwan people identify as part of the Chinese nation, adding that Chen's actions reflect mainstream public opinion.

In recent years, Fujian has helped many people in Taiwan connect their family trees with their mainland counterparts and welcomed visitors seeking to explore their ancestral homes.

In October, Taiwan political commentator Lai Yueh-tchien visited his ancestral home in Longyan, Fujian. He expressed hope that more people from Taiwan would seek their roots on the mainland, calling it an "undeniable fact" that Taiwan people are Chinese.

Chen's 12-day mainland livestream tour, which began on Oct 25, also included visits to Liaoning province and Beijing, drawing significant attention. His earlier livestreams in Shanghai in June aimed to counter what he called the DPP's misinformation about the mainland.

Yu Qiang, a professor at Beijing Technology and Business University, said that in recent years, many Taiwan influencers like Chen have traveled to the mainland to livestream, gaining large audiences. He said the trend reflects growing public interest in cross-Strait integration and a more accurate understanding of the mainland among viewers in Taiwan.