Taiwan's former leader, Ma Ying-jeou, has made his long-awaited first ancestral pilgrimage to mainland China ahead of the Tomb-Sweeping Festival (April 5).

Video filmed in the city of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province on March 28, shows local residents standing on the roadside to welcome Ma Ying-jeou.

The visit marks the first time since 1949 that a current or former leader of Taiwan has visited mainland China.

Qingming Festival, also called Tomb-Sweeping Festival, is celebrated 15 days after the Spring Equinox, usually between April 3 and April 5. Chinese families visit the tombs of their ancestors to clean the gravesites and make ritual offerings to their ancestors.

During their 40-hour stay in Nanjing from March 27 to 29, Ma and his delegation visited six sites, including the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, the former residence of John Rabe, the Memorial Hall for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, the Second Historical Archives of China, and the Confucius Temple.

As part of his itinerary, Ma will also lead a group of young scholars on visits to other cities, including Wuhan, Changsha, Chongqing, and Shanghai, before returning to Taiwan on April 7.

On March 31, Ma and his delegation will visit Hunan province, where he will pay respects to his ancestors in his hometown of Xiangtan on April 1.

The video was provided by local media with permission.

清明节是中华民族慎终追远、缅怀故人的传统节日。3月27日，马英九率团抵达上海并赴南京，开启了期许已久的首次寻根祭祖之旅。这也是自1949年以来，首位台湾地区现任或者卸任领导人访问大陆。
自3月27日下午马英九率团抵达上海，并坐高铁赴南京，至3月29日下午离开南京赴武汉，马英九一行在南京停留了40多个小时，从28日上午开始，参访了南京中山陵、总统府、拉贝故居、侵华日军南京大屠杀遇难同胞纪念馆、中国第二历史档案馆、夫子庙景区等6个地方。
据了解，台湾地区前领导人马英九将于3月27日至4月7日赴大陆祭祖、参访，并率领青年学子访问大陆，将前往南京、武汉、长沙、重庆、上海等城市。根据其行程，马英九一行将于3月31日下午到访湖南，并于4月1日到家乡湖南湘潭市湘潭县祭祖。