Around 9:00 am on February 12, Dutch overseas Chinese leader Liang Guozi arrived early at the event site of the 38th Zhongshan Charity Parade.

Although it was raining, she was still happy and wore a smile on her face. She walked forward with the parade, exchanging views and taking photos with her companions and waving to the residents on both sides of the road from time to time.

The lively scene drew Liang Guozi back to 37 years ago.

In 1988, as a sophomore in Zhongshan No.1 Middle School, Liang Guozi participated in the first charity parade as a member of the school's drum team. The team kept moving forward, and a seed of charity was planted in her heart.

After graduation from university, Liang Guozi went to the Netherlands to pursue further studies and do business. She gradually grew into a council member of Guangdong Federation NL, the president of Zhongshan Society of the Netherlands, and the chairman of the parents' association of Chinese School of Groningen, who serves her hometown in terms of economic development and overseas markets expansion.

In 2018, Liang Guozi took her daughter who was born and grew up abroad to join the 31st Zhongshan Charity Parade to experience the atmosphere of love.

"For us, the annual charity parade is like a letter from the people of our hometown to overseas Chinese," said Liang Guozi. This year, she returned to this familiar land together with her German partner Alexander, inviting him to experience the unique charm of the event.

This is her fourth participation in the parade, following the 1988, 1989 and 2018 versions. Zhongshan Charity Parade serves as a window for foreign friends to learn about Zhongshan and even China.

This time, Liang Guozi planned to take Alexander to have a deeper understanding of Zhongshan's lighting industry, explore business opportunities, and jointly promote Zhongshan-made lighting products to the German market.