Back on his native soil after 56 years, visiting People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong said yesterday that "descendants of China must never forget their roots" and people across the Taiwan Straits should join hands to bring more glory to the Chinese nation.

"I'm a native of Hunan, a proud Hunanese fond of eating hot pepper, a proud Chinese and also a Taiwanese who loves Taiwan," Soong said upon his arrival at Huanghua Airport in Changsha, capital of the central-south province, on Sunday afternoon.

On numerous occasions during his delegation's mainland visit, Soong has spoken out against "Taiwan independence," saying that people on both sides of the Straits are descendants of "Yandi and Huangdi emperors" and the "dragon" and should accomplish the reunification of their country.
 
Soong is due to return to Juyu Village in Xiangtan City this morning to perform an ancestor worshipping ceremony. In the afternoon, he plans to visit his primary school and meet his cousin before returning to Changsha.

In his brief remarks at the airport, Soong said he had poignant feelings at the moment.

"I escorted the coffin of my grandmother to Hunan 56 years ago as a little boy, and I haven't returned to see my kinfolk since, yet I have never stopped missing you," said Soong in Hunan dialect.
 
Visiting Hunan, he said, was not merely a personal matter, but an important occasion to express the hope of Taiwan kinsfolk for peace across the Straits.

Changsha is the fourth leg of Soong's nine-day mainland trip, which has also brought him to Xi'an, Nanjing and Shanghai. His delegation is due to visit Beijing before his return to Taiwan on May 13.

(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2005)