The Qing period stele was re-erected in Liaohou Village, South District of Zhongshan.[Photo by Xia Shengquan]

Gao Zhiqiang, a 68-year-old Chinese living in Australia, ended his family visit in Zhongshan on May 6 and went back to Australia. He had fulfilled a wish during this visit. On May 4, a Qing period stele he had preserved for 23 years, engraved with "En Zhou Hai Guo", was re-erected in front of the Tin Hau Temple at Liaohou village in South District.

Liaohou, a village under the jurisdiction of Beixi Community of the South District, was founded in the Yuan Dynasty. Up to now, there are still many old buildings preserved in the village, including the Tin Hau Temple that was built in the Ming Dynasty and stands at the village entrance. The stele, made 120 years ago in 1899, witnessed the reconstructions of the Tin Hau Temple.

In 1996, when returning to Zhongshan to visit his father, Gao Zhiqiang was told a stone scroll made under the reign of emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty was abandoned near the Tin Hau Temple. "I found it was a very precious stele," Gao said. In order to protect it from other uses, Gao hid the stele in a house in the village. In the past 23 years, Gao usually told other villagers about the stele during his family visits, but aroused no attention.

This time, eventually, his words immediately drew attention from the village leaders. After cleaning, the "En Zhou Hai Guo" stele was brought to light again.

On May 4, the day the stele was re-erected, Gao invited all the seniors in village to take group photos. "All I have done is to protect the historic relics and show our respect to traditional culture."

In the 1970s, Gao left Zhongshan for Macao to make a living. Later, he established a plastic plant in Hong Kong, and then ran a restaurant in Australia, where he has lived for 45 years. From the 1980s, he often came back Zhongshan to visit his relatives and other villagers. In 1986, Gao spent some money on building a 700-meter-long cement road for the village and funded the repair of the village's memorial archway.