"Qiaopi" refers to the letters and remittances sent by overseas Chinese to their relatives in China. It authentically documents the history of overseas Chinese and has been recognized as part of UNESCO's Memory of the World.
A couple from Guangdong has spent over 30 years collecting and preserving nearly 120,000 pieces of Qiaopi. They have generously donated over 50,000 original Qiaopi and more than 40,000 electronic files to the country in four separate donations. Their contributions have played a significant role in advancing research on Qiaopi culture.
They are Mr. Mai Bao'er and Mrs. Ma Ya. Mr. Mai Bao'er is from Guangzhou and has worked in Shantou. Mrs. Ma Ya is the founder of the China International Beauty Expo. "We have developed a hobby of collecting stamps since childhood, and we knew that Qiaopi is very precious," recalled Ma Ya. She mentioned that at that time, the couple spared no effort, mobilizing nearly a hundred people to go door-to-door in villages in Chaoshan, Fujian, and other places to collect Qiaopi.
"Because they carry family ties, some families treasure Qiaopi as heirlooms passed down through generations. Other families painstakingly search scattered Qiaopi. Each piece of Qiaopi is unique and precious to us," said Ma Ya.
"Qiaopi records the history of Chinese overseas struggles, brimming with deep sentiments of overseas Chinese towards their homeland. Since the first day we started collecting Qiaopi, our intention has always been to preserve cultural artifacts and to donate them, never considering selling them," said Ma Ya. She expressed that she and her husband hope that through these donated Qiaopi, more people can understand the history of Chinese overseas struggles, as well as the sentiments, responsibilities, and contributions of Chinese overseas to their homeland.
In 2004, Shantou prepared to establish a Qiaopi museum. Mr. Mai took the initiative to donate 32 CDs containing digital records of over 43,000 pieces of Qiaopi. It was reported that this formed the prototype of the first "Chaoshan Qiaopi" digital database in the country, playing a crucial role in advancing digital research on Qiaopi.
In 2020, Mr. Mai passed away. In July of that year, following her husband's wishes, Mrs. Ma donated 10,000 pieces of Qiaopi related to overseas finance to the Lingnan Finance Museum. This donation was the largest single donation received by the museum since its establishment, enriching its collection with a wide range of items spanning different periods. It also helped to fill gaps in regional collections previously lacking in certain categories.
In June 2020, Ma Ya and her daughter Ma Linlin handed over 40,121 Qiaopi and the right to use Mrs. Ma Ya's ancestral home to the Shantou Municipal Government. In October 2022, they made another donation to the Shantou Archives, contributing 8,000 pieces of original Qiaopi. These two donations totaled nearly 50,000 pieces of Qiaopi, significantly enriching the Qiaopi collection at the Shantou Archives and establishing it as the largest physical repository of Qiaopi documents in China.
"Nearly 120,000 items from the collection will be donated to the country under Mr. Mai's wishes," Ma Ya and her daughter firmly expressed on various occasions, reflecting their family's aspirations.
The Qiaopi documents donated by Mai Bao'er and Ma Ya serve as original testimonies to the ongoing connections within overseas Chinese families or clans. They document the developmental journeys of various overseas Chinese families across different historical periods, providing rich material for studying overseas Chinese history and the relationships between overseas Chinese and the economic and social landscapes of Southeast Asian countries.
Source: Yangcheng Evening News
