The Philippine media delegation on December 15, 2023 visited the 18.61 meters high Rizal Monument in Rizal Park located in the national hero Dr. Jose Rizal’s ancestral village of Zhangguo (pronounced also as “Siongque” in Hokkien or south Fujian province language), Jinjiang City, Quanzhou, Fujian province of southeast China. It is 18.61 meters, because 1861 was the birth year of Rizal.
His immigrant paternal ancestor Domingo Lamco (Chinese name Ke Yinan in Mandarin and Cua Yi-Lam in Hokkien) was born in Zhangguo Village. The immigrant founded the prosperous and highly-educated Mercado (adopted name) family of Laguna province, of which Dr. Jose Rizal was the most prominent member. Many other ethnic Chinese in the Philippines trace ancestral roots to Jinjiang and other areas under Quanzhou City.
The cultural goodwill visit of Filipino journalists was a civic project of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) to promote understanding and trade.
