Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council: Taiwan compatriots’ mainland travel has shifted from visiting the scenery to exploring the cultural context

On November 4, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council held a regular press conference. A reporter asked: Recently, the Taichung Travel Exhibition has been held, and individual travel to the mainland has attracted widespread attention from the people on the island and has become a hot spot for consultation. Any comment on this?

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that peace, development, exchanges and cooperation are the mainstream public opinion in the island society. Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share the same culture and race. It is natural for Taiwan compatriots to yearn for the mainland and hope to travel to the mainland. We have always adhered to the concept of "two sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family", created better conditions for promoting cross-Strait personnel exchanges and tourism exchanges and cooperation, and introduced more convenient measures, including waiving the document fee for Taiwanese compatriots who are "Shou Lai" to apply for Taiwan Compatriot Permits, increasing the number of ports that can issue one-time valid Taiwan Compatriot Permits to 100, and waiving admission fees for most A-level and above scenic spots in mainland China for Taiwan compatriots "Shou Lai". We have also noticed that recently more and more Taiwanese compatriots have shifted from visiting the scenery to exploring the cultural context. They "go to a city for a museum or an exhibition" and enter museums across the mainland to feel the unique charm of Chinese culture while touching history. There are more than 7,000 museums in mainland China, including well-known museums such as the National Museum and the Palace Museum in Beijing, as well as unique museums such as the Chinese Characters Museum in Anyang, the Qingzhou Museum in Weifang, and the Baiheliang Underwater Museum in Chongqing. In order to make it easier for everyone to "tour the museum", the "Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Spokesperson" Facebook account has recently launched an "unboxing" museum series to introduce some of the museum's "treasures." The first issue of "Into the Sanxingdui Museum" was released on October 31. We welcome everyone's attention and valuable opinions. We also warmly welcome more Taiwan compatriots to take a quick trip to the mainland to experience the majestic rivers and mountains of the motherland, the rich Chinese culture, the vigorous development momentum and the warm friendship between compatriots.