Cities across east China's Fujian Province, which sits opposite the Taiwan Island, are celebrating the week-long National Day holiday starting on Thursday with cultural and tourism events that bring Taiwan compatriots and local residents together, blending traditional heritage with creative flair.
In Xiamen City, a century-old qilou arcade street became an open-air stage along the Zhongshan Road, where Taiwan singers and intangible cultural heritage puppet performers joined forces to reimagine classics such as "Intimate Lover" and "Grandma's Penghu Bay." Their alternating vocals and puppetry told a story of shared blood ties across the Strait, drawing holiday crowds into the festive spirit.
"The festive atmosphere is wonderful and I'm really excited. I hope the motherland will continue to prosper, and I hope more Taiwan compatriots can settle here, whether starting up businesses or pursuing careers," said Lai Lai, a young woman from Taiwan based in Xiamen.
Peng Jun, head of the publicity group at the Xiamen Tourism Development Office, said, "We have organized a series of wonderful cultural and tourism activities with themes such as blessing the motherland. We welcome friends from far and wide to come to Xiamen and celebrate the holiday with us." In Minqing County, Fuzhou City, a National Day cultural tourism campaign features traditional Chinese aesthetics and the county's Zhuangyuan (top imperial examination scholar) heritage through interactive games, local cuisine and hands-on experiences.
Wang Yi-wen, a Taiwan compatriot, got involved in rural construction and innovation for one of the festive events by leading the planning with integration of the interactive games with traditional Chinese culture and local folk cuisine.
"We've designed the event around two core themes, the Six Arts of the Zhuangyuan and Minqing's Four Signature Banquets. Our goal is to turn static culture into something people can play with, taste and share, using culture to invigorate tourism, food to attract visitors and scenery to keep them coming back," Wang said.
Cross-Strait cultural events bring National Day cheer to east China's Fujian
