Speaker: “My family is from Quanzhou in Fujian, which is part of the Minnan region. The customs there are actually pretty similar to places like Chaoshan.

For example, during festivals like Qingming or Lunar New Year, family traditions are really important. We have a strong sense of clan identity. Each family usually has its own ancestral hall. During holidays, my parents would always take me there to burn incense and make offerings.

We would bring things like food or fruit as offerings, just to show respect to our ancestors. It was something we did regularly growing up, especially during important festivals.

There is also this saying about Fujian: ‘eight parts mountains, one part water, one part farmland.’ Most of the land is mountainous, and only some coastal areas, like southern Fujian, have flat land. Because of that, development in the past was pretty limited, especially on the mainland.

So a lot of people from that region went overseas, what we call ‘going to Nanyang,’ to places in Southeast Asia. Many went to the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, and other places to do business.

Because the clan identity is still very strong, even after people moved abroad, they stayed connected to their hometown. After making money, many of them would come back during holidays to visit their families and their ancestral halls.”

Interviewer: “So even after leaving, they still feel tied to their hometown?”

Speaker: “Yeah, definitely. That connection does not really go away. Even if they live overseas for a long time, they still come back during important festivals. It is not just about family, but also about honoring their ancestors and keeping that connection to where they came from.”

Context: This conversation took place during an informal interview about regional customs and family traditions in southern China. The speaker described practices in the Minnan region of Fujian, particularly the importance of ancestral halls and clan identity. He also connected these traditions to patterns of migration, explaining how economic limitations in the region led many people to move to Southeast Asia, while still maintaining strong ties to their hometowns.

Analysis: This account illustrates the close relationship between geography, migration, and cultural identity in southern Fujian. Limited agricultural resources and mountainous terrain contributed to a long history of overseas migration. At the same time, strong clan structures and ancestral traditions helped maintain a sense of identity across generations and distances. The continued practice of returning home for festivals and participating in rituals at ancestral halls reflects how cultural traditions can persist even in diasporic communities. These practices reinforce both family bonds and a broader sense of belonging tied to place and ancestry.