TWO hours' journey from Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian Province, lies the village of Houyu. Arriving there, it is soon clear why so many of its residents have risked their lives to go illegally to the United States.
Located in Changle County, at the mouth of the Minjiang River, Houyu's luxurious houses, built with money sent back by overseas Chinese, make it stand out from other villages along the road, which traditionally depend on farming and fishing.
These houses, costing two or three million yuan, are the visible proof of success abroad, often in the United States. Such signs of affluence may have helped tempt ten locals to join the ill-fated voyage on the East Wood which stranded its human cargo onthe Marshall Islands before they were repatriated last week.
More evidence lies with the continual stream of well-off Chinese Americans who return to visit their home town.
Mr Zhang Ziyong has just come back to Houyu to take his wife and son to the United States. They are going legally; their application to emigrate has been approved.
Inside another well-decorated three-storey house, 85-year-old Mr Zhang Tianzhang and his ailing wife have come back to pass the remainder of their lives at home.
