The 2025 Cross-Strait Mid-Autumn Festival Gala, themed "The Moon Shines Brightest Over Our Homeland", was successfully held on Sunday evening in Dongshan County, Zhangzhou City, Fujian Province.
Centered on the concept of "same roots, same origin, shared homeland," the event drew on Dongshan's distinctive natural scenery and cultural heritage to stage performances that evoked emotional resonance and collective memory among people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the global Chinese community.
The gala unfolded in three chapters - Moonlight, Emotional Bonds, and Dreams Fulfilled. It opened with young soprano Wang Li performing "Moon Over the Sea," setting a tone of longing for home. Fisherman-poet Xu Haiqin from Aojiao Village recited his piece "A Hold Full of Catch," capturing the spirit of perseverance in Dongshan and conveying a deep sense of cultural belonging.
One of the founders of Taiwan's campus folk music movement, Yeh Chia-hsiu, performed the classic "Grandma's Penghu Bay," stirring shared memories across the Strait. Renowned Taiwan singer Yeh Chi-tien followed with "Those Who Strive Will Win," highlighting the common spirit of determination among Minnan people.
"Every festival is very important to us Chinese people. I'm very happy that at several Mid-Autumn Festival galas I've been able to stand here and sing 'Grandma's Penghu Bay' and 'Country Road' to Taiwan. It's a truly wonderful feeling," said Yeh.
"This gala is not only a cultural exchange, but also a resonance of the heart. May such moonlight shine often, and may such reunions endure," said Tsai Ho-li, a compatriot from Taiwan.
Mid-Autumn Festival gala fosters shared heritage, emotional cross-Strait connection
Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday called for efforts to coordinate and optimize the spatial layouts of agricultural, ecological and urban spaces, and further improve the country's functional zoning system.
Li made the remarks while presiding over a State Council group study session on strengthening the implementation of the functional zoning strategy and promoting coordinated regional development.
These efforts should promote the formation of a new pattern for the development and protection of territorial space featuring clearly defined functions, complementary strengths and high-quality development, providing strong support for promoting coordinated regional development and optimizing the layout of major productive forces, said Li.
Li said efforts should be made to optimize functional zoning and make spatial governance more targeted and refined, while improving the policy and institutional system suited to functional zoning to guide different regions in pursuing differentiated and coordinated development.
Stressing that the coordinated regional development strategy, major regional strategies and the new urbanization strategy are all major strategies based on territorial space, Li called for efforts to promote the coordinated implementation and integration of the functional zoning strategy with other major national strategies.
Li also stressed the need to improve implementation mechanism for the functional zoning strategy, strengthen coordination among departments and localities, improve supporting systems, enhance policy integration, and form greater synergy in this work.
At the session, Fan Jie, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a lecture. Vice Premiers He Lifeng and Liu Guozhong and State Councilor Shen Yiqin also delivered speeches.
Chinese premier calls for strengthening implementation of functional zoning strategy
