Scottish bagpipes, Brazilian Samba, Southeast Asian folk dances, as well as Chinese martial arts and other traditional folk performances helped lift the curtain of the first Overseas Chinese Carnival yesterday in this Pearl River Delta city in South China's Guangdong Province.

The carnival, jointly sponsored by the Jiangmen city government, the Guangdong Provincial Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, the Guangdong Tourism Administration, the Guangdong Federation for Returned Overseas Chinese and the Guangdong Overseas Exchange Association, will run through tomorrow.

A total of 29 performance troupes including 11 overseas groups organized by overseas Chinese societies in Americas, Oceania, Europe and Southeast Asia joined the carnival.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Chen Jixing, Party secretary of Jiangmen, said the carnival will help boost cultural, economic and social exchanges with overseas Chinese.

The city has every advantage to host such an event thanks to the large number of overseas Chinese whose roots lie in Jiangmen, he added.

There are 3.76 million overseas Chinese of Jiangmen origin. The number makes up 10 per cent of the total number of overseas Chinese worldwide. The figure makes Jiangmen one of the largest hometowns of overseas Chinese in China.

The Jiangmen overseas Chinese live in 107 countries and regions.

The city has forged a very close relationship with 775 societies of overseas Chinese globally and benefited handsomely from the close relationship.

In addition to their donation of some 6 billion yuan (US$723 million), overseas Chinese have set up more than 2,300 enterprises in the city, with a total investment of more than US$3.60 billion.

"Fortifying the relationship with overseas Chinese is very important and the carnival is very meaningful," noted Long Yongtu, secretary-general of Bo'ao Forum.

"First generation overseas Chinese have a very strong affection for their hometown and motherland. However, those of later generations, living in an absolutely different culture, are less acquainted with Chinese culture and their sense of roots would not be as strong as their ancestors, if we did not take the initiative to do some work," Long said.

During the carnival, an overseas Chinese forum will be organized to dwell on closer co-operative ties with overseas Chinese.

(China Daily October 18, 2004)