Banli Township is located in the northeast of Changtai County, with an area of 1 15 square kilometers and a total population of14,000. Since the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, villagers in Banli Township have left their homes and crossed the ocean to make a living in Southeast Asian countries. There are more than 1300 overseas Chinese living in this town, mainly distributed in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and the United States. Among them, there are more than 1000 overseas Chinese living in Indonesia. Makassar, Indonesia, is the place where the Tang people in Banli Township lived abroad in their early years. In order to worship the virtues of ancestors and strengthen mutual assistance and unity, overseas villagers raised funds to build the Indonesian Down's Ancestral Hall-Zongben Hall. In order to keep close contact with villagers at home and abroad, there is also a worship hall in Banli Township.
In 1950s and 1960s, overseas Chinese in Banli Township donated money to support the construction of hydropower stations in their hometown. After the reform and opening up, overseas villagers are more concerned about the construction of their hometown. Some invest in orchards, others set up public welfare undertakings, such as road construction, water stations, theaters, kindergartens and middle school auditoriums, and donate teaching equipment to schools and medical equipment to hospitals. Overseas villagers also donated money to support the construction of the Overseas Chinese Federation Building in Banli Township and presented a station wagon.