Personnel exchanges across Taiwan Strait hit new high

Personnel exchanges between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan region have surged past a record-breaking 5 million, setting a positive backdrop for the annual cross-Strait culture and media exchange summits currently underway in Beijing.

Despite political hurdles, this week's attendees have pointed to booming double-digit trade growth and record travel as proof that connections remain vital to the livelihoods of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

"I would like to stress to all of you that the purpose of cross-Strait exchanges is for the people's livelihood," said Chang Jung-Kung, vice chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party.

People make choices on their own. Chou Hsi-wei, vice president of the Taiwan-based Want Want Group, said Taiwan could not find better places than the mainland for progress together.

"People on the mainland have been so kind to Taiwan. Not only do they offer profits, but they also make Taiwan compatriots feel at home," said Chou.

What he said has been reflected in the fact that trade volume between the two sides has maintained a general growth trend for more than 10 consecutive years.

The latest statistics showed that in the first quarter of this year, the total volume of cross-Strait import and export trade increased by 20.9 percent year on year. That goes against the obstructions set by the ruling Taiwan authorities.

Chi Chia-lin, a historian and publisher of Taiwan, said it is necessary for people in Taiwan to know more about the Chinese mainland through the media.

"Sometimes, the dissemination of new media is boundless. That makes it impossible for the truth to be stopped by the 'green camp' authorities in Taiwan," said Chi.

Some attendees at the Beijing summits called for bringing both sides closer together rather than creating confrontation.

"I am also expecting to use images and films against oblivion and to connect people's hearts," said Zhuang Canjie, a film director.

Culture and media exchanges are just part of the cross-Strait ties and trends, and participants are calling for understanding rather than confrontation, as the bonds between the sides are inseparable.

Personnel exchanges across Taiwan Strait hit new high

China's 2026 box office revenue had surpassed 14 billion yuan (about 2.06 billion U.S. dollars) as of Tuesday, fueled by a diverse array of hit movies and consumption promotion campaigns.

The film industry got off to a strong start during the Spring Festival holiday. "Pegasus 3," the latest installment in director Han Han's racing comedy franchise, amassed over 4 billion yuan and remains the year's top grossing film so far.

Released during the Qingming Festival, the comedy drama "It's OK" focused on a mother-daughter bond and resonated strongly with young women, topping April's box office chart with more than 160 million yuan in ticket sales.

During the just concluded May Day holiday, "Dear You," a low budget film in the Chaoshan (Teochew) dialect featuring an almost entirely first-time cast, became one of China's biggest cinematic surprises of 2026. As the highest rated domestic release so far this year, the tear-jerking drama had raked in over 180 million yuan as of Wednesday afternoon.

The five-day May Day holiday, a key period for movie-going, drew more than 20.8 million people to cinemas, a 10 percent jump from a year ago, while the number of screenings rose 2 percent to nearly 2.4 million.

Bolstered by the "2026 China Film Consumption Year" and "China Travel with Chinese Films" initiatives, cinema spending has become a major driver of cultural and tourism consumption. The entire film industry chain has generated over 220 billion yuan in output value since January.

China's 2026 box office surpasses 14 bln yuan