Hago (L), former Ecuador ambassador to China, and his grandson.[Photo provided to Zhongshan Daily]

A century-old house in Chadong Village in Nanlang Town, Zhongshan City welcomed back its long-lost owner on April 13. Washington Hago Mendizábal, the former Ecuadorian ambassador to China, returned home once more after 5 long years. He was accompanied by his 13-year-old grandson, Hermann. They both visited their ancestral home and the Chen's Ancestral Temple to re-establish their roots and worship their ancestors.

Hago's father was a native of Chadong village. In the 1920s, he left Zhongshan for Ecuador, where he made a living by operating a rice milling workshop. It was in Ecuador where he married a local woman.

Hago was born in 1949. Sadly, his father passed away when he was only 4 years old. The little boy was told by his relatives that his father, whose surname was Chen, was born in Zhongshan in South China's Guangdong Province. Since then, the faraway hometown in Zhongshan had always left an indelible mark in Hago's mind.

In 2005, Hago finally set off on his root-seeking journey to China. Two years later, he was appointed as Ecuador's plenipotentiary ambassador to China. Since that time, he has returned to Zhongshan four times. April 13 marked the sixth time Hago has been back to his Chinese hometown.

At Chen's Ancestral Temple, Hago and Hermann devoutly worshiped and bowed their heads to their ancestors. Although he can not speak Chinese and he doesn't live in Zhongshan, Hago still has a constant emotional tie to his Chinese hometown. He hopes to pass down his nostalgia to later generations in an everlasting way.