For Chinese, hometown is a pure land that will remain in their hearts forever, especially overseas Chinese, even if several generations have been in a foreign land, it is difficult to give up the nostalgia for their homeland.
On May 19, 2013, Sanxing Village, Doosan Town, Taishan City, Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province, welcomed a guest, to be precise, he did not come to Sanxing Village as a guest, but "went home", his name is Xiong Bohong, from distant Honduras.
He was once the Minister of Defense of Honduras, the commander-in-chief of the three armed forces, and a native Honduran, but at the same time, he was also of Chinese descent and could speak Chinese fluently.
How could a high-ranking foreign official be in the countryside of Taishan in his hometown? What kind of legendary story is hidden in his body?
Crossing the ocean to make a living
In the twenties and thirties of the last century, when the land of China was in turmoil, warlords were fighting, foreign powers were around, and the common people were struggling to live in poverty.
There are many people in the village who go to the sea to make a living, although the future is unpredictable, but it is better than watching their families starve. In 1926, Father Xiong made up his mind, said goodbye to his wife, and drifted to the other side of the ocean with his fellow villagers.
After a long voyage, they finally arrived in Honduras, a small country in Central America that was in the midst of a period of great construction and required a large number of laborers.
They offered foreign workers the same rights and interests as their own nationals, and this condition made Father Xiong feel excited, and he believed that if he worked hard, he would be able to make money!
He began to work hard, whether it was building roads and houses, or working as a coolie on the farm, as long as he could earn money, it was not a problem to be tired. The Chinese tradition of hard work and willingness to work has allowed Chinese laborers to gain a foothold here, and Father Xiong has also earned money through his hard work.
With the money, his first thought was to send it to his wife as soon as possible, but after asking around, Father Xiong was disappointed.
Because of the chaotic situation in the country and the influence of the international environment, it was impossible to send money to the small village, and he wanted to return to China immediately, but the smoke of the war completely interrupted the way home.
In desperation, Father Xiong had to inquire about the way to go home while working, and as the money in his hand gradually increased, Father Xiong began to do business, and it didn't take long for him to earn the first pot of gold in his life, and his life gradually got better.
Just as he began to look forward to returning to China to reunite with his wife and children, World War II began, and Father Xiong became seriously ill due to long and hard work.
The war that he didn't know when it would end, and his body, which he didn't know when it would get better, made him feel haggard, and during that time, his whole body fell into the abyss, as if there was no hope in this world.
Later, after being introduced, Father Xiong got acquainted with a local woman, and under her careful care, his seriously ill body slowly improved, and many people persuaded him to want to open some more, and life had to go on.
After much thought, he finally formed a new family with the woman, and in 1947, their son Xiong Bohong was born.
The story opens a new chapter, and the second generation of Chinese Americans begins his hard work.
Self-improvement and continuous green cloud road
When Xiong Bohong was very young, his father told him that they were all Chinese, their roots were in China, their hometown was Taishan, and there were relatives there, and no matter what, they would return to their homeland in the future to recognize their ancestors.
Father Xiong taught him to learn Chinese and specially gave him a Chinese name, although his appearance looks mixed-race, but his father's education since childhood made him firmly remember where his roots are.
But at that time, China and Honduras did not have diplomatic relations, and the complex political environment and the ocean blocked by thousands of miles made returning to China an unattainable thing.
The young Xiong Bohong hid his father's last wish in his heart and began to study hard to Xi, he wanted to make himself stand out and make a career with his own ability, maybe by then, his father's last wish would come true.
After several years of hard study, Xiong Bohong was admitted to the National University of Honduras, majoring in law, where he began to fully display his talents, won praise from his classmates and teachers, and served as the president of the student council and the student legal adviser.
When graduating from university, Xiong Bohong made another major decision to apply for the senior military academy, hoping to display his talents in the army Xi.
Starting as an ordinary soldier, Xiong Bohong found his stage in the military and was promoted all the way to become a senior officer.
In 1996, the 49-year-old Xiong Bohong was entrusted by the President of Honduras with the important task of serving as the country's defense minister and commander-in-chief of the Honduran army, navy and air force.
He did not hide his Chinese identity, and he was proud of it, and after becoming a senior official, the local people's impression of Chinese Americans has also changed a lot, no longer the stereotypical image of the past, and there is a lot less discrimination against the Chinese.
After his retirement, Xiong Bohong became the president of the Association of Chinese Americans in Honduras, and continued to contribute to the protection of the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese Americans, becoming a household name in Honduras.
Over the years, he has never forgotten his father's entrustment, but due to his identity restrictions, it is difficult to find relatives in China, but fate is so magical, a chance coincidence, things have taken a turn for the better.
Haunted by the dream of returning home
Once, a Chinese businessman from Honduras came to China to negotiate business, and his hometown was also in Taishan.
Knowing that the businessman was currently in Honduras, the fellow was a little saddened, saying that his grandfather had gone to Honduras that year, and he had not heard from him until now.
The businessman suddenly became interested, you know, Honduras is not big, and the Chinese there basically know each other, and it is not difficult for him to find a Chinese, so he asked the villagers for details.
The fellow told him his grandfather's name, and the businessman was stunned at that time -- this is too coincidental! The name of the fellow's grandfather is actually the same as the name of President Xiong Bohong's father, could it be that this fellow in front of him is really the president's relative!
After a detailed inquiry, more and more details made the businessman sure that this was the president's relatives in China, and the two hurried to the house and saw the villager's father, Xiong Taowen, and the old man learned that he had found the contact information of his long-lost brother, so he hurriedly wrote a letter and asked the businessman to bring Xiong Bohong.
In this way, by chance, Xiong Bohong finally got in touch with his relatives, and began correspondence with the eldest brother who had never met before, and the brothers often sent each other some local products, and the strong family affection had already crossed thousands of miles across the ocean.
With the help of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, in 2013, Xiong Bohong finally embarked on the haunting road home, with his father's last wishes, with more than half a century of homesickness, he finally returned to his homeland.
He was greeted by his elder brother Xiong Taowen, the 87-year-old man still couldn't help but burst into tears when he saw his own brother, this side, they had waited too long!
Xiong Taowen prepared roast boar and authentic Taishan dishes for his younger brother, introduced his relatives to him, and then took his younger brother to worship his ancestors.
Since then, Xiong Bohong has often traveled between the two countries, trying to promote the connection between the Chinese people in Honduras and the Chinese people, and enhance the understanding between the two sides, and he is like a bridge to build the road for the Chinese people in Honduras to return home.
epilogue
Xiong Bohong is most pleased that China and Honduras finally established diplomatic relations in March 2023, and the travel between the two countries is no longer so cumbersome, and the cooperation between the two countries in many fields has also allowed the people to have more trust and understanding of each other.
Xiong Bohong is undoubtedly an excellent representative of overseas Chinese, he has created a world with his own efforts, and has always cherished his homeland affectionately, looking forward to the future, the overseas Chinese will become a link between the two countries, so that this friendship will last forever.
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