Xiamen is a famous port city, and the vast majority of Fujian residents traveling abroad or returning home by transit through this city. Consequently, Xiamen had the highest number of overseas remittance agencies (once accounting for 80% of the total in the province). The earliest remittance agency in Xiamen was the Minxin Bureau, established in 1877 by Huang Rixing from Qingyuan Village in Shigu Town, Engchoon. Before Li Jiayao moved to Xiamen, many Engchoon people had already settled there, and the Engchoon Association of Xiamen already existed.

During his time in Xiamen, Li Jiayao, together with fellow Engchoon natives Guo Qixiang, Zheng Shiding, and later Zheng Jiansan, who taught at Chong Hock Girls’ School, co-founded the “Mortar Weekly.” This publication reported on current events in Engchoon and was mailed weekly to fellow townsmen throughout Southeast Asia, keeping overseas Engchoon natives informed about the situation of their hometown. In the 1920s, when transportation and communication tools were rudimentary, “Mortar Weekly” became the main source of information about Engchoon for the Southeast Asian Engchoon communities. In April 1926, the Engchoon Association of Xiamen commissioned Li Jiayao and Zheng Jiansan to travel to Singapore and Malaya to connect with various Engchoon associations and discuss forming the “Engchoon Overseas United Association” to begin the work of aiding their homeland.

In the spring of 1928, the Engchoon Association of Singapore convened a representatives’ conference of local Engchoon associations, deciding to establish the “Nanyang Engchoon Federation,” the predecessor of the Yong Lian Hui. Most Engchoon associations from various regions attended the meeting, including those from Xiamen, Singapore, Batu Pahat, Muar, Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Tanjung Malim, and Ipoh. The representatives from the Kuala Lumpur Engchoon Association were Hong Jincong, Huang Zhongji, and Chen Renruan. This demonstrated that the Engchoon communities across various regions had already established a network of connections. The conference also decided to elect Li Jiayao, Li Tiemin, Zheng Jiansan, and Wang Sudan to represent the federation in petitioning the Fujian provincial government to dispatch regular troops to Engchoon to suppress the bandits.

The Fujian provincial government later dispatched troops to Engchoon to quell the bandit threat. Engchoon associations across Singapore and Malaya simultaneously raised funds and sent Zheng Jiansan back to Xiamen, sponsoring General Zhang Zhen with 50,000 yuan military expenditure, to request military assistance for Engchoon. The Fujian provincial government appointed Zhang Zhen, commander of the 4th Independent Division of the Army, as the “Commander of Bandit Suppression in Minnan,” and he led his troops into Engchoon to suppress the bandits. It is worth noting that before Zhang Zhen dispatched his troops, he sought a loan of 30,000 yuan from the Nanyang Engchoon Federation, using the Engchoon Tax Bureau as collateral. However, several directors of the Kuala Lumpur Engchoon Association believed that the Engchoon residents were suffering greatly due to the banditry, and Zhang Zhen’s willingness to deploy troops to clear out the bandits was beneficial to the townspeople. Therefore, they decided to directly donate the 30,000 yuan, instead of giving up as a loan.

In September 1928, Zhang Zhen, commander of the 4th Independent Division, sent Huang Kesheng’s regiment to station in Engchoon, establishing the “Engchoon Civil Corps General Bureau,” with Lin Miaoyi as the director and Guo Qixiang as the deputy director. However, the bandit suppression did not proceed as smoothly as expected. In the autumn of 1929, the bandit leader Chen Guohui once again invaded Engchoon. After capturing the county seat, he imposed heavy opium tax and other various taxes. In 1930, Chen Guohui’s men wreaked havoc in Wufeng and Huyang, leading over 10,000 residents of Huyang to flee to the neighboring counties of Xianyou and Dehua. In April 1932, the 61st Division of the 19th Route Army stationed in Engchoon, forcing Chen Guohui to retreat to Putian and Xianyou. At this time, overseas fellow townsmen sent letters and telegrams to the 19th Route Army, accusing Chen Guohui of his crimes. Shortly thereafter, Chen Guohui was arrested by the 19th Route Army and executed by firing squad at Donghu, Fuzhou, on December 23, 1932. However, the efforts to save the homeland did not end there. The bandit leaders Zhang Xiongnan of Dehua and You Cifu of the civilian militia continued to cause chaos in Engchoon. Additionally, the Nationalist Army’s “anti-communist” campaigns and conscription drives forced many Engchoon residents to flee overseas. It was not until the Communist Party came to power in 1949 that the damage caused by bandits and local Nationalist troops was completely eradicated.

The Kuala Lumpur Engchoon Association’s concern for the situation in their homeland extended beyond funding the military efforts to suppress the bandits. They also generously donated to the Engchoon county government to repair basic facilities damaged by banditry, such as organizing a crafts training center for the homeless, rebuilding the Xiba Yunlong Bridge, and restoring the Confucian Temple next to the county government. At that time, Engchoon people in Malaya consistently showed concern for affairs in their ancestral homeland. A key factor was that Malaya had not yet gained independence, and the national identity of Chinese immigrants still leaned towards China. Events in their homeland were regarded with as much importance as those in their new places of residence.