Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, fulfilled his long-cherished wish of paying respects to his ancestors in Hunan province over the weekend.
上周末，中国国民党前主席马英九在湖南省完成了他的夙愿，祭拜了他的祖先。
Ma and his four sisters traveled to Xiangtan, Hunan, on Saturday morning to worship ancestors and sweep the tomb of their grandfather ahead of Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, which falls on Wednesday.
4月1日上午，马英九和他的四个姐妹前往湖南湘潭，在清明节之前祭拜祖先并为祖父扫墓。
The 72-year-old's ancestral worship journey on the Chinese mainland has attracted wide attention from people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, as it was the first time he had set foot in his ancestral home.
这位72岁的老人在中国大陆的祭祖之旅引起了台湾海峡两岸人民的广泛关注，因为这是他第一次来到自己的祖籍。
During Ma's trip to the village of Shuangyang, where his grandfather's tomb is located, the local people greeted him with "Welcome home!"
在马英九前往他祖父的墓地所在的双阳村时，当地群众问候“欢迎回家”
Ma replied in a Hunan dialect, "The Xiangtan boy is back."
马英九用湖南方言回应：“湘潭伢子回来了！”
His grandfather, Ma Li'an, who was born in Xiangtan in 1868 and died in 1927, was a successful businessman and was devoted to helping the local community, including in the building of schools and a port.
他的祖父马立安1868年出生于湘潭，1927年去世。马立安是一位成功的商人，致力于帮助当地社区，包括修建学校和港口。
On many occasions, Ma has mentioned his grandfather and the family motto that he left, which advocates studying hard and performing good deeds. The younger Ma included the motto on the title page of his doctoral thesis.
在很多场合，马英九提到了他的祖父和他留下的家庭格言，即努力学习，做好事。马英九在他的博士论文的扉页上写了这句格言。
Ma said that paying respects to ancestors is a very important part of the Chinese people's ethical education. Although he never met his grandfather, since he previously had been unable to visit the mainland, he had always hoped to pay his respects to him.
马英九说，尊敬祖先是中国人道德教育的一个非常重要的部分。虽然他从未见过祖父，但由于之前一直无法访问大陆，他一直希望能去看望祖父。
"My wish of many years has finally come true," he said.
马英九说：“我多年的愿望终于实现了，”
After lighting incense in front of his grandfather's tomb on Saturday morning, Ma read an elegy in the local dialect, sobbing several times and wiping away tears as he read.
4月1日早上，在他祖父的墓前点燃香火后，马英九用当地方言读了一首挽歌，他哭了好几次，一边读一边擦眼泪。
"Dear grandfather, this is the first time in my life that I have come to the mainland to worship ancestors and visit relatives. I am very moved," he said. "Your legacy reminds us to love ourselves and pursue self-improvement, help others and be loyal to our duties."
“亲爱的公公，这是我一生第一次来大陆祭祖与探亲，内心非常感动。您的遗训使我们子女都懂得自爱自强，为善助人，尽忠职守。这是我们人生最宝贵的资产，取之不尽，用之不竭。”
Videos posted on social media of Ma worshipping his ancestors moved many netizens, as tracing one's ancestry and origins is crucial in Chinese culture.
社交媒体上发布的马英九祭祖的视频感动了许多网友，因为在中国文化中追根溯源至关重要。
The wide attention given to Ma's trip by people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits reflects the common pursuit of compatriots from the mainland and Taiwan, said Shen Xiaoming, secretary of the Communist Party of China Hu nan Provincial Committee.
中共湖南省委书记沈晓明表示，两岸人民对马英九此行的广泛关注反映了大陆和台湾同胞的共同追求。
Shen met with Ma in Changsha, the capital of Hunan, on Saturday afternoon and welcomed him home, according to Hunan Daily.
4月1日下午，据《湖南日报》报道，沈晓明在湖南省会长沙会见了马英九，并欢迎他回家。
Over the years, Ma has adhered to the 1992 Consensus and opposed "Taiwan independence” and has made important contributions to promoting the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and the deepening of cross-Straits exchanges, which is highly appreciated, Hunan Daily quoted Shen as saying.
《湖南日报》援引沈晓明的话说，多年来，马英九坚持“九二共识”，反对“台独”，为促进两岸关系和平发展、深化两岸交流做出了重要贡献，受到高度赞赏。
Hunan, with deep historical connections and close exchanges with Taiwan, will continue to create benefits for Taiwan people working in the province and support exchanges among young people from both sides of the Straits, Shen said.
马英九说，湖南与台湾有着深厚的历史渊源和密切的交流，将继续为在湖南工作的台湾同胞创造福祉，支持两岸青年交流。
He called on more people from Taiwan to come to Hunan, in order to promote the peaceful development of cross-Straits relations and strive for realizing the nation's rejuvenation.
马英九呼吁更多台湾同胞到湖南来，为促进两岸关系和平发展、为实现中华民族伟大复兴而努力。
Ma thanked Hunan for its warm reception during his visit.
马英九感谢湖南对他访问期间的热情接待
He was born in 1950 in Hong Kong to parents who were from Xiangtan. Ma was the fourth child and only son among the five children. His family left Hong Kong for Taiwan in 1952.
马英九1950年出生于香港，父母是湘潭人。马英九是家里的老四，也是五个孩子中唯一的儿子。他的家人于1952年离开香港前往台湾。
On Friday, while in Hunan, Ma visited Zhounan Middle School, which his mother attended from 1933 to 1936.
3月31日，马英九在湖南期间，参观了周南中学，这是他的母亲于1933年至1936年就读的学校。
He visited Hunan University on Sunday, where he met with students.
4月2日，马英九访问了湖南大学，并与学生们见面。
In a remark before visiting the university, Ma said, "I hope young people from both sides can exchange more to understand each other so as to deepen their friendship."
马英九在访问这所大学之前说:“我希望双方的年轻人能够更多地交流，相互了解，以加深友谊。”
Ma, leading a group from Taiwan, arrived in Shanghai on March 27 for a 12-day visit on the mainland. The trip, including visits to Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Wuhan, Hubei province, and Chongqing, also has encouraged dialogue between young people on both sides of the Straits.
马英九率领台湾代表团于3月27日抵达上海，开始对大陆进行为期12天的访问。这次访问包括访问南京、江苏、武汉、湖北和重庆，还鼓励海峡两岸的年轻人进行对话。
Dialect
英 [ˈdaɪəlekt] 美 [ˈdaɪəlekt]
n. 方言
Compatriot
英 [kəmˈpætriət] 美 [kəmˈpeɪtriət]
n. 同胞
