Kuomintang chair Cheng Li-wun will lead a delegation to Jiangsu, Shanghai and Beijing on a six-day mainland visit starting Wednesday at the invitation of President Xi Jinping , with her Yunnan Yi ethnic heritage becoming a topic of discussion online.
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Cheng, 56, was born in Yunlin, Taiwan, and grew up in a military dependents' village for relocated military families. Her father, Cheng Ching-hui, was a native of Zhenyuan in Pu'er, Yunnan, and served with the Chinese Expeditionary Force fighting the Japanese in Burma before moving to Taiwan with his unit in the early 1950s. He later rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Her mother is from Yunlin.
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Cheng has previously stated she is a "daughter of Yunnan," having visited her ancestral home. Photos circulating online show Cheng and her husband Luo Wuchang paying respects at her family's ancestral hall and meeting relatives in Zhenyuan, where they were received by local officials.
According to local media, Cheng's paternal ancestors originated from Zhengjia Village in Zhenxing Township, Zhenyuan Yi, Hani and Lahu Autonomous County in Pu'er.
Cheng's father often shared stories of the war against Japan with children in the military dependents' village, and Cheng previously posted a childhood photo on Facebook showing her with her father in military uniform.
As Cheng prepares to visit the mainland, some online commenters have expressed hope that she will return to her ancestral home to witness the changes there.
