Fujian draws people from Taiwan for more than a holiday

This year was the first Chinese Lunar New Year that Taiwan resident Kang Yungming had ever spent on the Chinese mainland. He found himself in Fuzhou, Fujian province, a major host of people and enterprises from the island.

"I wanted to experience the traditional culture here," Kang said, noting that the holiday — also known as Spring Festival — is the most important traditional festival for Chinese people.

Kang is a former rugby coach at Hsinchu Municipal Hsiangshan High School in Taiwan. In November, he made a bold decision to resign from that stable teaching job and start a business on the mainland. He came in January to his first choice — Fuzhou.

"I learned that Fujian is building a demonstration zone for cross-Strait integrated development, and I believe that the various support policies it offers will make our life and work more convenient," Kang said.

Although Spring Festival in Fuzhou was Kang's first on the mainland, it gave him a sense of belonging. He arrived in Fuzhou on Jan 16 and quickly applied to stay in a local apartment with other people from Taiwan.

He added that he was delighted to obtain a residence permit for Fuzhou within a week of his arrival.

"I feel that the people here are very friendly," Kang said.

He added that he plans to bring his family from Taiwan to Fuzhou to live, work or study when the school term ends in July for his two children.

Many others from Taiwan have laid similar plans to live and work on the mainland. Lin Yingsui, a businessman from Taiwan, for example, recently registered a new company in Fuzhou and with the help of the local government applied for public rental housing. It was also his first time celebrating Spring Festival in Fuzhou.

"I have been in the towel industry for more than 10 years and used to frequently travel between the mainland and Taiwan. Now I have opened a new company in Fuzhou and hope to promote our towel products to the mainland," Lin said.

Chen Po-Jui, a physician from Taiwan who has lived and worked on the mainland for many years, returned to Zhangzhou, Fujian, with his family to celebrate the holiday.

As a medical practitioner, Chen has actively participated in various cross-Strait exchange activities and is committed to promoting cooperation and integrated development.

"How to combine the advantages of both sides to help some vulnerable groups in need of care is a very important area and is the direction I will continue to work in the future," Chen said.