Shih Pei-lin, another Taiwanese teacher, pursued her PhD at Xiamen University when she was 50 years old and later chose to teach at Minnan Normal University.
She led her students out of the classroom and conducted field research in ancient villages in Zhangzhou. There, she recorded the appearance of traditional dwellings, compiled the development history of villages based on oral accounts from villagers, and produced documentaries.
"Whether it is the music, puppetry, or traditional buildings, they are vivid evidence of the same root shared by both sides of the Taiwan Strait," she said. "For me, the process of exploring these memories is like finding the embrace of a mother, and it allows students to gain insight into the origins and changes in the cross-Strait relationship."
In 2021, Shih was honored with the title of "Outstanding People's Teacher in Fujian".
These teachers have gone from being practitioners and beneficiaries of cross-Strait integration to becoming drivers and advocates of it.