Malaysian Woman Recognizes Grandfather’s Photo on Street in Kunming

KUNMING, China, Sept. 18, 2026— A Malaysian woman visiting Kunming had an emotional encounter with her family history after recognizing a photograph of her grandfather on a memorial wall dedicated to the overseas Chinese mechanics who returned to China during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

On Sept. 16, 40-year-old Malaysian Chinese woman Zhang Huiqing was walking along Xinwen South Road in downtown Kunming when she came across a historical cultural wall featuring photographs and stories of the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Mechanics, known in Chinese as the “Nanyang Qiaoji.”

Among the photographs was the face of her grandfather,Kuang Jinyuan.

“That is my grandfather. That’s my grandfather’s photo,” Zhang recalled saying when she recognized him. The unexpected discovery moved her to tears.

A Family Connection Hidden in History

Kuang Jinyuan was born in 1914 in Alor Setar, Kedah, then part of British Malaya. His family originated from Taishan in Guangdong Province, China.

In 1939, at the age of 25, Kuang joined the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Mechanics group and returned to China to support wartime transportation efforts along the Burma Road.

Thousands of young overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia took part in the movement. They served as drivers, mechanics and other technical workers, helping transport urgently needed supplies along one of the key routes connecting China with the outside world during the war.

A Dangerous Journey

Kuang's wartime experience was far from ordinary.

In 1942, after the fall of Lashio in present-day Myanmar, he was surrounded by Japanese forces. He reportedly spent about 18 hours trapped in the area before escaping and eventually walking for 24 days to reach Baoshan in Yunnan.

A line written by Kuang on the back of an old photograph recorded his experience and his memories of the 24-day journey.

During his service, he also worked on difficult routes including the famous 24-Bend Road, repairing trucks and helping transport military supplies under dangerous wartime conditions.

The Family Did Not Know His Full Story

After the war, Kuang returned to Malaya in 1946 and later raised a family with his wife. He died in 1993.

For many years, however, his descendants did not fully understand his wartime experience.

Zhang said the family only learned more about Kuang's role as a Nanyang Overseas Chinese mechanic when researchers from Yunnan visited Malaysia about a decade ago. The family subsequently found old identification documents, photographs, badges and diaries among his belongings.

Those historical materials were later donated to the Yunnan Provincial Museum.

Zhang said she had remembered her grandfather as a quiet and disciplined man who lived a simple daily life. Learning about his wartime experiences gave the family a different understanding of the man they had known.

An Unexpected Encounter in Kunming

Zhang had already visited Yunnan several times and had previously seen some of her grandfather's preserved belongings at a museum.

But she did not expect to encounter his photograph while simply walking through a busy Kunming street.

She later posted a short video of the moment on social media. According to China News Service, the video surpassed one million views within 48 hours, receiving tens of thousands of likes and thousands of comments.

Many online commenters expressed respect for the overseas Chinese mechanics and welcomed Zhang's connection to the history displayed in Kunming.

Remembering a Generation

Memorial sites dedicated to the Nanyang Overseas Chinese Mechanics can be found in various parts of Yunnan, including museums, monuments, schools and cultural districts along the historic Burma Road.

For Zhang, discovering her grandfather's photograph was more than a family reunion with a face from an old photograph. It also gave her an opportunity to learn about a part of her family's history that had remained largely unknown for decades.

She said she plans to bring her family to Dehong in Yunnan in the future to visit a memorial park dedicated to the overseas Chinese mechanics who returned to China during the war.

She also hopes to share the story with younger generations in Malaysia so that more people can learn about the history of the overseas Chinese mechanics and the role they played during a difficult period in China's history.