Chairman of the People First Party (PFP) James CY Soong (3rd R) pays homage to his great grandfather in Juyu Village in Xiangtan, central China's Hunan Province, on May 9, 2005.

Chairman of Taiwan's People First Party (PFP) James Cy Soong paid homage Monday morning to his great grandfather and grandparents in Juyu Village in Xiangtan, Hunan Province.

In the village, which was named after a tale of the capture of an 80-kg fish, villagers lined up by the village road in drizzle, holding banners which read "Welcome to home village, Mr. Soong!" and, "Chu-yu, welcome back home!"

Following traditional rituals, Soong swept the tombs of his great grandfather and grandparents amid the sound of firecrackers. All the tombs are kept intact.

Upon his arrival at the airport in Changsha, the provincial capital of Hunan, Sunday afternoon, Soong said, "I escorted my grandmother's coffin to my hometown 56 years ago. I've left Hunan for 56 years and haven't come back to see village folks, but I always miss you."

Chairman of the People First Party (PFP) James CY Soong takes some soil from the tomb of his grandfather as a memento in Juyu Village in Xiangtan, central China's Hunan Province, on May 9, 2005.

Hunan Province is the fourth leg of Soong's nine-day trip to the mainland, which started Thursday. He will also visit Beijing and meet with Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, before returning to Taipei the coming Friday.

At 10:15 am, Monday, the ritual of paying homage to Soong's ancestral tombs began. James Cy Soong, in a deep blue suit with a grey tie, came to the tomb of his great grandfather together with his mother and wife.

A long table was set up in front of the tomb of Soong's great grandfather, with fresh fruits, fragrant white wine and white wreaths on it. Soong, his wife and his mother stood paying their silent tribute at the first line, while Soong's younger brother and sisters, as well as other family relatives stood behind.

James CY Soong started to read a funeral oration, which was prepared before his mainland trip, with devout reverence. The funeral oration was so touching that Soong himself, his wife and his mother all burst into tears.

The whole rite strictly followed the customs in the locality. Except Soong's more than eighty-year-old mother, all the family members of Soong paid silent tribute to their ancestors on bended knees.

At the end of the rite, Soong said "we brought a sincere heart from Taiwan. And we came here to present tributes to our ancestors who gave us good education and enlightenment."

Soong also took a cup of earth from the tomb of his great grandfather to remember his hometown and ancestors in the future.

Later on, Soong's family also paid homage to the tombs of Soong's grandparents. Thousands of local farmers voluntarily came to welcome the returned Soongs.