Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) Honorary Chairman Lien Chan (C) waves to local people before an ancestor worship ceremony at Lien's Ancestral Hall at Maqi Village in Zhangzhou, a city in southeast China's Fujian Province on April 19, 2006. (Xinhua Photo)

   FUZHOU, April 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) Honorary Chairman Lien Chan and his family members worshipped ancestors at his hometown of Maqi Village in Zhangzhou, a city in southeast China's Fujian Province Wednesday morning. 

 Local villagers played gongs and drums, and performed dragon dancing to welcome Lien and his family who arrived at the village at 9:15 a.m..

    Accompanied by relatives of the same clan in the village, Lien and his family members burnt incense and offered sacrifices to, and bowed in salute toward their ancestors at the ancestral hall.

    Lien made a chitchat with his fellow countrymen after the sacrificial offerings.

    Talking in Southern Fujian Dialect, the local dialect, Lien said that he felt touched deeply in his heart that his fellow countrymen invited him to come back home in the past and gave him a warm welcome today.

    "I'm very, very happy to have realized my dream of worshipping my ancestors at hometown today," Lien said, expressing the hope that he could maintain frequent contact with his fellow countrymen in Maqi Village in the future.

    Relatives of the same clan presented Lien rice and water and wished good fortune and happy life for Lien's family. Lien expressed his sincere thankfulness to his fellow countrymen.

    Lien also swept the tombs of and paid respects to his ancestors.

    Lien Chan arrived in Fujian on Monday evening after attending across-Straits economic and trade forum held in Beijing from April 14 to 15. He also met with Hu Jintao, general secretary of Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, during his stay in Beijing.

    Lien will receive an honorary doctor's degree from Xiamen University on Wednesday afternoon. Enditem