The first "Marine Silk Road" Overseas Chinese Investment and Trade Conference, which was recently held in Quanzhou City of east China's Fujian Province, has not only helped attract prospective entrepreneurs but also paved the way for several second and third-generation overseas Chinese from the city to connect with their roots.

The trade conference was held on June 15, with nearly 1,000 participants from over 30 countries and regions. Among them were many second and third generation overseas Chinese who have returned to Quanzhou to participate in the conference.

"We have plans to invest in a factory in Quanzhou for food exports. Many people in the Philippines like sweet food and we want to try and export our products there and in other countries," said Pan Zhengrong, vice president of Bannai Branch of Chinese Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines.

Weng Longqiu from Malaysia is a third generation overseas Chinese. His thriving business and popularity in the Malaysian business community has helped increase interactions between Quanzhou businessmen and those from other countries along the Belt and Road.

"I think the overall economic recovery here is faster than in Malaysia. Quanzhou is a place with good economic output, and has a good intermediary trade network. Cooperation between Malaysia and Quanzhou is a win-win situation," said Wen.

Quanzhou is a heritage city that is always on the move. The high popularity of the city among businessmen has helped entrepreneurs like Huang Yuan, a second generation overseas Chinese from Macao.

"I am based in Macao and mainly work in the field of tourism. Macao has been a world cultural heritage city since 2005, so there are several experiences that both cities can leverage on for expanding business. I hope that the development will benefit the needs of both places," said Huang.

Quanzhou, which is home to over nine million people, also has nearly 9.5 million overseas residents who hail from the city. The city, which is synonymous with business banks on buzzwords like 'recovery', 'opportunity', 'investment', and 'win-win' to stay ahead of its peers. With the domestic market continuing to open up a plethora of opportunities for growth, several second and third generation overseas Chinese are now returning to the city to set up new businesses.