Promotional material for the dance drama Half of the Sea Photo: Courtesy of the China Oriental Performing Arts Group

To commemorate the 150th anniversary of Chinese business pioneer and philanthropist Tan Kah Kee's birth, various events were held across the country to pass on the legacy of this national figure.

Born in 1874 in Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province, Tan left a profound legacy by championing Chinese unity and providing support during critical times. Leading major fundraising efforts for Chinese flood relief and the resistance against Japanese invasion, he mobilized resources and manpower from overseas Chinese communities. 

Revered by Chinese leaders like Mao Zedong, Tan was hailed as the Banner of Overseas Chinese and the Glory of the Nation. His legacy endures through his contributions to education and his unyielding patriotism.

Inspired by Tan's life story, Half of the Sea, a Chinese dance drama, was staged at the China National Opera House in Beijing on Sunday and Monday night. 

The production uses dance as an artistic medium to showcase Tan's spirit of perseverance, patriotism, and dedication to education, paying tribute to this patriotic overseas Chinese who remained devoted to his homeland despite adversity.

During his life, Tan founded many schools. The dance drama does not tell his story in chronological order, but focuses on the most difficult moments. 

"Through a meeting, it shows the critical moment that Tan faced when he had to make a choice between keeping the company and investing all the money left to continue running the schools," director Lin Chen told the Global Times. 

"We used the stream of consciousness technique to depict Tan's nostalgia for his motherland, forming an emotional puzzle," said Lin.

Dance dramas are better at depicting emotions through chanting and xieyi (a Chinese artistic style that emphasizes unconstrained expression), and the stream of consciousness narrative method can make the narrative of the dance drama more flexible, Lin noted.

Tan's love for China is reflected in his own memoir, Nanqiao Huiyilu (Memoirs of Nanyang Overseas Chinese), which has been described as undoubtedly one of the best documented autobiographies ever written by an overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia.

Meanwhile, in Xiamen, a symposium titled "Carrying Forward the Tan Kah Kee Spirit, Realizing the Dream of National Rejuvenation" was held on Monday, gathering local government officials, representatives of the overseas Chinese community and the education sector. 

"The legacy of Tan does not belong to him personally, but is universal. He is a beacon, guiding more people and ordinary overseas Chinese to participate and contribute with varying degrees of strength to achieve a shared goal," Rongzi, a 75-year-old Shantou local who has lived in Singapore and Malaysia since she was 8 years old, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

According to the Xiamen Daily, local authorities have announced that starting from 2024, October 21, Tan's birthday, has been designated as "Tan Kah Kee Educational Heritage Day," providing institutional guarantees for the protection and inheritance of Tan's educational heritage and passing on Tan's spirit.