江门五邑是中国著名侨乡，五邑各地侨乡特点鲜明，而侨乡恩平则旅居委内瑞拉的乡亲众多。恩平和委内瑞拉之间有着深厚的历史渊源，两地人民交往甚密，情意深重。委内瑞拉华侨华人超90%来自广东，而广东籍侨胞中90%以上是恩平人。恩平话是旅委侨胞通用的“中国话”，甚至被一些当地人误认为就是“普通话”。

渊源深

旅委侨胞有20万之众

相关研究显示，从恩平移民到委内瑞拉的华侨，最早可追溯至19世纪五六十年代，迄今已有100多年。

中国改革开放后，敞开了与世界连通的大门，恩平人移民委内瑞拉的高峰随之到来，形成了长达数十年的“移民潮”。早先移民委内瑞拉的恩平人在当地站稳脚跟后，通过亲帮亲、邻帮邻的模式，带动一批批恩平人远赴委内瑞拉打拼。有学者指出，改革开放之后的30年间，恩平的委内瑞拉新移民人数估计高达15万。

在委内瑞拉，恩平人凭着勤劳，过去从种地、洗衣等苦差事做起，如今逐步涉足餐馆、杂货店、进口贸易以至厂矿企业等领域，成了当地经济发展的一支生力军。目前，旅委华侨华人有20万之众。

乡情重

侨胞以行动支持家乡发展

时空无法隔断恩平和旅委侨胞的血肉联系。一直以来，旅委侨胞心里一直装着恩平。他们事业有成后积极在家乡筑桥修路、办学校、建医院、兴商业，侨胞们的爱乡情怀充盈着恩州大地，一个个侨胞的名字被镌刻在他们捐建的学校、医院、乡村道路的牌碑上。

比如，恩平籍侨胞冯雪茂1947年到委内瑞拉发展，1986年回乡探亲后，捐资300多万元兴建恩平第一所由华侨捐资的学校——雪茂学校；侨胞冯根存1955年到委内瑞拉发展，1973年成为该国第一位回中国参加广交会的企业家，并捐资200多万元在家乡兴建根存学校。

令人感动的是，恩平广大侨胞与旅委侨胞一样热心家乡发展。

汶川大地震后，旅委侨胞捐款1470万元支援当地灾后重建。2020年初疫情发生后，广大海外乡亲万里驰援家乡，委内瑞拉全国华联总会捐款211万元，恩平共收到海外捐赠物资99批次、397万元。据统计，改革开放以来，恩平广大海外乡亲捐赠项目共4874个、总额达9.6亿港元。今年恩平市“630”助力乡村振兴活动，委内瑞拉全国华侨华人联合总会捐款200万元，侨界合共捐款1000多万元。侨团侨胞的代表们在活动中走在前列、扛起公益慈善旗帜，为恩平经济社会发展注入强大的“侨动力”。

服务优

做侨胞安居乐业的大后方

广大海外侨胞是恩平乡亲休戚与共、血脉相连的亲人。多年来，恩平市委市政府听侨声、解侨忧、暖侨心，获得广大侨胞的好评。

恩平市在全省首创华侨华人法律服务中心，在委内瑞拉等地共设7个联络点，2022年以来，共受理涉侨民商事案件546件，案件结案率84%；建成“侨胞之家”37个，建立完善便利华侨华人投资税收服务中心，为侨胞在家乡生活工作、投资创业提供优质服务。

恩平市积极解决华侨办理回国定居手续耗时长问题，将审批时限从57个工作日缩减至22个工作日，并推动修订《广东省华侨回国定居审批办法》。积极协调解决疫情防控期间滞留恩平侨胞护照逾期问题，邀请委内瑞拉领事馆人员到恩平现场办公，为1.2万名委籍华人成功续签护照。积极协调解决外籍学生入学问题，在恩平入读的8000多名外籍学生与本地学生享受同等待遇，其中多数为委内瑞拉“洋留守”学生。

此外，恩平市全力为侨办实事，推出“恩侨保”普惠型华侨华人医疗保险项目，惠及广大侨胞；实施“以侨助侨”侨爱工程，组织开展关爱归国留守儿童慰问活动800多人次；做好困难归侨和特困归侨保障工作，发放救助补助金160万元。

近年来，随着越来越多华侨华人选择回乡投资兴业，恩平市不断出台系列政策，优化营商环境，提供“妈妈式”服务，以期为侨商们提供最优渥的发展土壤。目前，在恩平投资经商、工作生活学习的侨胞3万多人，其中委籍侨胞占80%；入读的外籍学生8000多人，其中委籍学生占90%。

创未来

心手相牵续写友谊新篇章

“在中国，大家看到了委内瑞拉的未来。”恩平籍委内瑞拉侨胞、委内瑞拉华侨华人联合会副会长岑路涛告诉本刊，9月委内瑞拉总统马杜罗访问中国的电视画面传回委内瑞拉后，在当地引起了轰动。“大家通过电视看到了中国飞跃式的发展，尤其是高铁、无人机等现代化的科技，不仅让恩平籍侨胞感到振奋，也让委内瑞拉本地人对中国产生了浓厚兴趣，对两国未来合作充满了期待。”岑路涛表示，当地侨胞和委内瑞拉人民都期待马杜罗访华能在经贸方面有所突破，希望借助中国经验带动委内瑞拉经济有新的发展。

近年来，恩平市全力做好新时代“侨”的文章，与多米尼加圣市、委内瑞拉伊市深度共建国际友好城市；提质升级华侨华人法律服务中心，不断深化护侨司法实践探索；谋划编写侨情侨史，抓好恩平市侨情馆建设；升级改造唐明照故居、张瑞芬纪念馆等侨乡特色场所，擦亮“中国华侨国际文化交流基地”品牌。

Jiangmen Wuyi is China’s famous hometown of overseas Chinese and the districts of this overseas Chinese hometown in Wuyi have distinctive features. Among them, there are a large number of folks living in Venezuela from the overseas Chinese hometown of Enping. Enping and Venezuela have a deep historical root, and the people of the two places have close communication and deep affection for each other. More than 90% of Venezuelan overseas Chinese come from Guangdong, and more than 90% of the Guangdong compatriots are Enping people. Enping dialect is the common “Chinese language” spoken by overseas Chinese in Venezuela, and is even mistaken as “Mandarin” by some locals.

Time-honored history and origin

There are about 200,000 Chinese immigrants in Venezuela

The relevant studies show that the first few Chinese immigrants from Enping to Venezuela can be traced back to the 1850s and 1860s, more than 100 years ago.

After China’s reform and opening up, the door to connect with the world was opened, and the peak of the Enping people’s migration to Venezuela came with it, forming a decades-long “wave of migration”. Early Enping people immigrating to Venezuela gained a firm foothold, and through the ways of relatives to help relatives, neighbors to help neighbors, driving a number of Enping people to go to Venezuela to work hard. Some scholars point out that during the 30 years after the reform and opening up, the number of new Venezuelan immigrants from Enping is estimated to be as high as 150,000 people.

In Venezuela, Enping people, through hard work, once started from farming, laundry and other drudgery, now gradually involve in restaurants, grocery stores, import trade and even industrial factories and other fields, and have become a new force for local economic development. At present, there are about 200,000 overseas Chinese in Venezuela

Profound hometown sentiment

Overseas Chinese support the development of their hometown with action

Time and space can not separate the blood and flesh contact between Enping and Venezuela’s overseas Chinese. All along, the overseas Chinese in Venezuela have been loaded with Enping in their hearts. After their success, they actively built bridges and roads in their hometowns, schools, and hospitals and ran businesses. The compatriots’ love for their hometown is filled with the land of Enzhou and the compatriot’s name is engraved on the monument one and another of schools, hospitals, and rural roads they donated to build.

For example, Enping compatriot Feng Xuemao went to Venezuela in 1947, and after returning home to visit his family in 1986, he contributed more than 3 million yuan to build the first school in Enping donated by overseas Chinese, Xuemao School; the compatriot Feng Gencun went to Venezuela in 1955 and became the country’s first entrepreneur to return to China to participate in the China Import and Export Fair in 1973 , investing more than 2 million yuan in his hometown to build Gencun school.

It is touching that the majority of overseas Chinese in Enping and overseas Chinese in Venezuela are both enthusiastic about the development of their hometown.

Following the Wenchuan earthquake, overseas Chinese in Venezuela donated 14.7 million yuan to support the local post-disaster reconstruction. After the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, the majority of overseas folks rushed to help their hometown and the Venezuelan National Overseas Chinese Trade Union General Attestation donated 2.11 million yuan. As a result, Enping received a total of 99 batches of overseas donations total worth 3.97 million yuan. According to statistics, since the launch of the reform and opening up, the majority of overseas folks in Enping donated to a total of 4874 projects and accumulated 960 million Hong Kong dollars. This year, in Enping City’s “630” helping rural revitalization activities, the Venezuelan National Overseas Chinese Federation donated 2 million yuan, and at the same time, the overseas Chinese community contributed more than 10 million yuan. Representatives of overseas Chinese groups and compatriots are walking at the forefront of the activities, carrying the banner of public welfare and charity, injecting a strong source of “overseas Chinese power” into the economic and social development of Enping.

Excellent service

To be the home front for compatriots to live and work in peace and happiness

The majority of overseas compatriots are Enping folks’ relatives who share the weal and woe as well as sharing the same blood. Over the years, the Enping Municipal Government has listened to the voice of overseas Chinese, and solved the problems of overseas Chinese to warm the hearts of overseas Chinese, winning the majority of overseas Chinese praise.

Enping City has pioneered the first legal service center for overseas Chinese and set up a total of 7 contact points in Venezuela and other places. Since 2022, a total of 546 cases of civil and commercial cases involving overseas Chinese have been accepted, with a case settlement rate of 84%; built 37 “overseas Chinese homes” and perfectly facilitated the investment and tax service center for overseas Chinese to provide quality services for the overseas Chinese to live, work, and invest and start a business in their hometowns.

Enping City has actively solved the problem of time-consuming procedures for overseas Chinese to return to their home countries for settlement by reducing the time limit for examination and approval from 57 working days to 22 working days and promoting the revision of the Measures for the Examination and Approval of Overseas Chinese Returning to Their Home Countries for Settlement in Guangdong Province. The city has also proactively responded to the problem of overdue passports of stranded overseas Chinese in Enping during the epidemic prevention and control period in a coordinated manner, invited the Venezuelan Consulate personnel to Enping for on-site work, and successfully renewed the passports of 12,000 Chinese of Venezuelan nationality. Moreover, it still tries to solve the problem of foreign students' enrollment, as more than 8,000 foreign students enrolled in Enping enjoy the same treatment as local students, most of whom are Venezuelan “foreigner left behind” students.

In addition, Enping Municipality makes every effort to work on practical matters for overseas Chinese, such as launching the “Enqiao Insurance” universal medical insurance program for overseas Chinese, which benefits the majority of overseas Chinese; implementing the overseas Chinese love project of “overseas Chinese helping overseas Chinese”, and organizing and carrying out activities for the care of returning left-behind children for more than 800 person-times. It has also done a good job of guaranteeing the returned overseas Chinese in difficulties and special difficulties and issued 1.6 million yuan of aid subsidies.

In recent years, as more and more overseas Chinese choose to return to their hometowns for business investment, Enping City has continuously introduced a series of policies to optimize the business environment and provide “motherly” services, with a view to providing overseas Chinese businessmen with the most favorable development atmosphere of development. At present, more than 30,000 overseas Chinese are investing and doing business, living, working and studying in the city, of which whom 80% are of Venezuelan nationality; more than 8,000 foreign students are studying in the city, of which 90% are of Venezuelan origin.

Creating the Future

Continue hand in hand to write a new chapter of friendship with heart and soul

“In China, everyone looks into the future of Venezuela.” Cen Lutao, a Venezuelan overseas Chinese of Enping origin and the vice president of the Venezuelan Overseas Chinese Federation, told the press that the TV footage of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s visit to China in September caused a sensation in the region after it was transmitted back to Venezuela. “People saw China’s great leapfrog development through TV, especially modern technology such as high-speed rail and drones, which not only inspires the overseas Chinese of Enping, but also makes the Venezuelan locals take a keen interest in China and look forward to the future cooperation between the two countries.” Cen Lutao said that local compatriots and the Venezuelan people look forward to Maduro’s visit to China to make a breakthrough in economy and trade, and expect that with the help of China’s experience to drive the Venezuelan economy to a new level.

In recent years, Enping City has spared no efforts to do a good job with a focus on overseas Chinese for the new era. These include joining hands with the Dominican Republic St. City and Venezuela City to build an international friendship city; improving and upgrading the overseas Chinese legal service center, and continuing to strengthen the exploration in the practice of protecting overseas Chinese justice; planning to draft the diaspora overseas Chinese sentiments and history and working on the construction of the museum of overseas Chinese; updating and innovating the former residence of Tang Mingzhao, Zhang Ruifen Memorial Hall and other places in the hometown of overseas Chinese, plus increasing the brand awareness of “overseas Chinese international cultural exchange base”.

本文作者：吴健争 胡伟杰