An overseas Chinese applies for her Chinese ID card at a public security department. [Photo/tidenews.com.cn]
Over 2,700 overseas Chinese have chosen to resettle in Wenzhou since last year, marking a significant moment in the city's history.
For Zhang Liwei, an overseas Chinese born in Italy in the 90s, receiving her first Chinese ID card in Ouhai district was a moment to remember.
Wenzhou is the ancestral hometown of nearly 700,000 overseas Chinese distributed in more than 130 countries and regions around the world. Zhang's decision to relinquish Italian citizenship in favor of Chinese nationality underscores a growing desire among overseas Chinese to reconnect with their roots.
Streamlined procedures have played a pivotal role in facilitating this influx. The process, once cumbersome, has been simplified, with most applications processed within a mere five working days, sometimes even on the same day.
The returnees, spanning different generations, bring diverse aspirations with them. Zhang, for instance, established a foreign trade company, aiming to export Wenzhou's fashion to Europe. Meanwhile, elderly returnees like Cheng Chunhua, 86, find solace in reclaiming their ties to their homeland.
This resurgence signifies a broader shift in the relationship between China and its diaspora. As economic opportunities burgeon domestically, more second-generation overseas Chinese are opting to return, while older generations seek the comfort of their homeland in their twilight years.
In response, government agencies are committed to further enhancing services for overseas Chinese, ensuring that the path to resettlement remains accessible and welcoming. With such support, more overseas Chinese are poised to realize their dreams of returning to and thriving in their ancestral land.
