People from both sides of the Taiwan Straits came together on Friday to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, also known as the Duanwu Festival, in the cities of Fuzhou and Xiamen in east China's Fujian Province.
The Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month on the Chinese lunar calendar to commemorate ancient Chinese patriotic poet Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC). The festival falls on May 31 this year.
On the eve of the festival, a night market in Xiamen was transformed into a stage where young participants from both sides of the Taiwan Straits performed songs, storytelling and poetry recitations that all share the same cultural roots.
Adding to the festive atmosphere was a fair where the young people tried on silk flowers, lacquer fans, and sugar paintings that blend tradition and culture of southern Fujian with modern creativity.
"In Taiwan, we celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in the same way. Watching performances, singing, and dancing here today brings a deep sense of homecoming," said Chen Ruijie, a young man from Taiwan.
Also on Friday, a celebration was held in Fuzhou to mark the traditional festival, featuring activities such as food tasting and performance that not only show the rich heritage of Chinese culture, but also help deepen cross-Strait ties.
"Traditional culture is a spiritual bond connecting both sides of the Taiwan Strait. We hope this event can help strengthen mutual understanding between people from Taiwan and the mainland," said Wang Yangyang, an official from the Gulou District Center for promoting cultural and ethical progress.
People from both sides of Taiwan Straits jointly celebrate Dragon Boat Festival
China's first 500-kV cross-border alternating-current power interconnection project entered service Monday, creating the highest voltage grid tie between the two countries and advancing Belt and Road energy cooperation.
The project raises two-way power transfer capacity between the two countries from 50,000 kW to 1.5 million kW, enabling the annual transmission of about 3 billion kWh of clean electricity, roughly 30 times the capacity of previous lines, according to China Southern Power Grid.
As the largest cross-border grid project and the highest-voltage power link between China and Laos, it connects southwest China's Yunnan Province with Oudomxay and Luang Namtha provinces in northern Laos.
Cross-border electricity trading began as the project entered operation. About 4.81 million kWh of power from clean energy bases in northern Laos was transmitted to Yunnan through the new line, marking a more regular and institutionalized phase of power connectivity between the two countries.
It is also the first time an overseas new energy project has participated in China's electricity market, the company said. The power involved in the transaction came from a large mountain photovoltaic project in Laos, one of the core supporting power sources for the interconnection line.
"This project is the cross-border power grid project with the highest voltage level between China and Laos. Leveraging the China-Laos power grid interconnection and the power markets in southern China, surplus hydropower from Laos can be transmitted to China during the rainy season, while China can supply supplemental power to northern Laos during the dry season. This project represents yet another landmark achievement between China and Laos in deepening power cooperation and jointly advancing the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative," said Li Jingru, general manager of Electricite du Laos Transmission Company Limited (EDL-T), a joint venture of China Southern Power Grid and Lao state-run Electricite du Laos.
The solar project has an average annual power generation capacity of about 1.65 billion kWh. In 2026, it is expected to transmit about 1.1 billion kWh of solar power across the border, supporting energy complementarity between the two countries.
"In the future, efforts will be made to further promote normalized cross-border electricity trading, meet the trading needs such as electricity transmission from Laos to China's Yunnan, from China's Yunnan to Laos, and from Laos to China's Guangdong, and facilitate the optimal allocation of energy resources in the Lancang-Mekong region," said Li Minhong, marketing director of China Southern Power Grid.
Construction of the interconnection project began in late February last year. Spanning a total length of 177.5 km, the transmission line includes a 145-km Chinese section and a 32.5-km Lao section.
New China-Laos power link expands transfer capacity 30-fold, boosts electricity trading
