In the Central Park of Jimei New Town, the Jimei Tower stands quietly with its red pillars and golden tiles. It is not only a geographical landmark of Jimei New Town but a spiritual monument—a place where time pauses and dialogue grows. Every Qiaopi letter and every relic of Tan Kah Kee displayed here silently narrates the sincerity of “Loving the Country like Life itself”; meanwhile, the sound of reading echoing through Jimei School Village today makes the century-old soul of the diaspora shine brilliantly in the new era.
Jimei Tower
Tangible Evidence
When this cross-temporal spiritual dialogue is embodied in tangible carriers, we can read the heavy echoes of history from objects bearing the marks of time. Stepping into the permanent exhibition hall of Jimei Tower, the display of “Kah Kee Tiles” commands attention. These orange-red tiles, glowing warmly under the lights, are not merely architectural textures but a fusion epic engraved in clay—a direct materialization of the Overseas Chinese spirit.
The “Kah Kee Tiles” displayed in Jimei Tower
In the 1920s and 30s, Mr. Tan Kah Kee, with exceptional wisdom, created the unique architectural style known as “wearing a suit and a bamboo hat.” In the architectural clusters of Jimei School Village and Xiamen University, the rustic weight of Minnan red bricks blends wondrously with the solemn elegance of European colonnades, creating a unique landscape in world architectural history.
However, the story of the Kah Kee Tile goes far beyond aesthetic innovation. Considering Xiamen’s hot climate and the high cost of imported cement, Tan Kah Kee made a pragmatic and wise choice: modifying the traditional Chinese flat tiles into large, interlocking curved tiles. This change not only reduced costs but also improved heat insulation. In 2007, the “Kah Kee Tile” was listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Xiamen. What it carries is the survival wisdom of the Overseas Chinese—pragmatic innovation and adaptation to local conditions.
Looking up at the neat orange-red roofs of Kah Kee architecture today, we see more than physical shelter; we see a spiritual sanctuary—a spirit of actively borrowing global experience while holding fast to cultural roots, and blazing new trails while adapting to reality. This wisdom mirrors the life posture of the Overseas Chinese: venturing into the four corners of the world, yet keeping their hearts tied to their homeland.
The History of the Heart
If the Kah Kee Tiles are the material symbol of the Overseas Chinese spirit, then the Overseas Chinese letters collected at Jimei Tower serve as its most vivid emotional footnote.
In the autumn of 2023, a letter collection campaign titled “Letters Bridging Hearts, Overseas Chinese Building Bonds” swept through Tan Kah Kee’s hometown. Within just fourteen days, over 2,600 letters arrived from home and abroad like homing pigeons. Spanning generations and borders, these handwritten notes completed a profound dialogue across a century. We see that the spirit of Kah Kee has never faded; it has long since become the cultural DNA of this land, lighting the path forward.
In the eyes of a child, this spirit is a tangible part of daily life. “Dear Grandpa Kah Kee, my favorite thing is riding the ‘Kah Kee’ metro… When I grow up, I want to be a scientist and take the ‘Kah Kee’ ship to explore the ocean,” wrote seven-year-old Wang Jiangyi. In his world, the spirit is transformed into the roar of a train and the voyage of a research vessel—abstract values merging into the life experiences of a new generation through concrete symbols.
In the vows of the youth, the spirit is a conscious responsibility. A student from Jimei University wrote: “When someone asks me the meaning of ‘Kah Kee Spirit,’ I look at the stars, the moon, and the rising tides of the Xiamen sea… Our generation should be like the Master: never failing China, never fearing the distance, and never wavering in our resolve!” This is no longer a historical echo, but a deeply internalized belief and a choice for the present.
These letters, ranging from young children to university students, weave a map of spiritual identity across all ages. They prove that the Kah Kee Spirit has never been distant; it has become the city’s lifeblood—extending along metro lines, flickering in theater lights, flowing through the scent of books, and growing in the hearts of all.
Passing the Torch
Paper is short, but affection is long. Yet, what truly brings a spirit to life is the resonance of the voice.
At the “Ode to Kah Kee Recitation Event,” as people of different ages and backgrounds stood side-by-side to read letters addressed to Mr. Tan Kah Kee, a profound spiritual transmission took place.
Scene from the “Letters Bridging Hearts, Overseas Chinese Building Bonds—A Letter to Mr. Tan Kah Kee” Recitation Event
The clear voices of children spoke of dreams for the future, while the passionate tones of the youth signaled their determination to take up the mantle. When sentences from 1920s overseas Chinese letters met the vows of 2023 youngsters in the same space, time seemed to fold, and the hearts of different generations beat in sync.
Handwritten letter to Mr. Tan Kah Kee from Lan Yihong, Chairman of the Board of Suntar Group, Singapore
As Lan Yihong, Chairman of the Board of Suntar Group in Singapore, stated in his letter: “As a member of the Chinese diaspora living abroad but keeping my heart at home, I deeply feel that sense of responsibility and mission toward my hometown. Mr. Tan’s spirit of ‘Loving the Country like Life’ has guided me, ensuring that while I push for innovation in membrane technology and environmental protection, I never forget to serve my roots through industry and connect our bloodline through culture.” This conscious practice by Overseas Chinese today is the most vivid modern footnote to the Kah Kee Spirit.
This recitation was more than a cultural event; it was a ritual of spiritual confirmation. It allowed emotions written on paper to enter the hearts of listeners through the vibration of sound, transforming individual emotion into collective resonance and activating historical heritage into present power.
From the wisdom of bricks and tiles to the deep affection of letters, it is clear: the Kah Kee Spirit has always resonated with the times.
Today, as Xiamen advances toward becoming a high-quality, beautiful, modern, and international city, the Kah Kee Spirit provides an invaluable resource—teaching us how to maintain cultural resolve in a globalized context, how to prioritize humanistic care during modernization, and how to hold fast to ideals amidst rapid development. This legacy belongs not just to Xiamen, but to the entire Chinese diaspora and the nation.
Leaving Jimei Tower as the setting sun gilded its edges, the exhibits inside continued their silent narrative. Outside, the sounds of study echoed through the school village, and the pulse of modern construction beat strongly. This city, carrying memories of a millennial maritime civilization and rising first during the reform and opening-up, is marching toward a broader future along the path blazed by its ancestors.
Jimei Tower stands here, guarding a century of memories and welcoming every new dawn. The true code of the hometown of overseas Chinese is hidden within these letters that span time and space—they tell us: patriotism is never an abstract concept, but a concrete choice; inheritance is never a passive acceptance, but an active creation; and the spirit of the diaspora never vanishes with time—it gains eternal life through practice.