To me neither of these views appear mutually exclusive, and thus, without denying Cheng Chih-lung either a cosmopolitan outlook or a strong quick-witted personality, I see him rather as a son of his people, an off-shoot of the Shih-ching peninsula based family-tree firmly anchored by clan alliances with the neighbouring ports of Liu-wu-tien and An-hai in Ch'üan-chou prefecture.