He thought Taiwan was home. Turns out it's Fujian.

Lin Chin-yuan went to Zhangzhou's Pinghe county in Fujian province in search of his ancestral home - and to expand his business. [Photos provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Seven years ago, when Lin Chin-yuan came from Taiwan to start a business in Fujian province, he regarded himself as a visitor whose real home was across the Taiwan Straits. But now from the bottom of his heart, he feels Fujian is home.

The change came after Lin, 33, traced the roots of his family in Taiwan to Fujian's Pinghe county last year.

"I noticed two Chinese characters meaning 'Pinghe' on the tombs of my ancestors every Tomb Sweeping Day in Taiwan, and I wondered where that was," he said.

Then he learned from information recorded in a family temple located rural Taiwan that an ancestor had settled in Jiayi county of Taiwan after moving from Pinghe.

"I was excited to learn that Pinghe is a place on the Chinese mainland, and it's in Fujian," he said. It's a county under the city of Zhangzhou.

In 2015, attracted by a tourism project in Pingtan county - an island group off the coast of Fujian - Lin made his way there to develop a rural tourism business. He spent his time on business, but finding his ancestral home was always on his mind.

Lin Chin-yuan traced the roots of his family to Zhangzhou's Pinghe county in Fujian province. [Photos provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

With help from local authorities and organizations, historical materials were checked, and further searching eventually led Lin to his ancestral home - Anhou town in Pinghe county.

He visited the town in June to pay his respects to his ancestors. There he placed a video call to his grandfather in Taiwan. "We couldn't hold back our tears," Lin said.

"I don't have any language barriers when I communicate with relatives in the town. And I eat food exactly like what my grandma cooks in Taiwan," he added.

Young people should pay more respect to their ancestors to draw wisdom from family customs and precepts, Lin said, adding: "Only when you have roots are you able to grow into big trees."

Lin is currently general manager of a tourism company based in Pingtan. The company has 16 staff members and has developed tourism projects in several counties in Fujian.

"We plan to renovate old houses in villages for rural tourism and add vigor to the villages," he said.

Lin Chin-yuan traced the roots of his family to Zhangzhou's Pinghe county in Fujian province. [Photos provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Lin Chin-yuan went to Zhangzhou's Pinghe county in Fujian province in search of his ancestral home - and to expand his business. [Photos provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Lin Chin-yuan went to Zhangzhou's Pinghe county in Fujian province in search of his ancestral home - and to expand his business. [Photos provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Lin Chin-yuan went to Zhangzhou's Pinghe county in Fujian province in search of his ancestral home - and to expand his business. [Photos provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Lin Chin-yuan traced the roots of his family to Zhangzhou's Pinghe county in Fujian province. [Photos provided to chinadaily.com.cn]