China News Agency, Beijing, January 28th, title: The reunion of Taiwan youths during the Spring Festival: I hope cross-strait exchanges will be smoother
China News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoxi
This year's Lunar New Year is the year of reunion that many people have been looking forward to for a long time. Taiwanese youths who have worked hard in the mainland for many years return to Taiwan to celebrate the New Year and reunite with their relatives and friends.
In an interview with a reporter from China News Agency, they said that they look forward to smoother and more convenient cross-strait exchanges in the future.
Zhang Yuzhong: Reunite with family and taste hometown delicacies
Zhang Yuzhong, from Taichung, Taiwan, is a young man of "North Drifter".
Due to the epidemic in the past two years, he stayed in Beijing for the Spring Festival, and this year he finally had the opportunity to return to his hometown to reunite with his family.
"We will post Spring Festival couplets, set off firecrackers, give red envelopes, and go to the temple, but the New Year's Eve dinner may be different. For example, in Taiwan, we will eat a dish called mullet roe, which is a unique delicacy." Zhang Yuzhong said, During the Chinese New Year in Beijing, I will also meet with friends to eat Taiwanese food, but the feeling of returning to my hometown to taste local food is still irreplaceable.
On New Year's Eve, Zhang Yuzhong had dinner with relatives and friends at home and enjoyed the hard-won reunion.
During the Spring Festival holiday, he traveled with his family.
"Actually, I want to stay at home longer, but my mother is a little 'suffocated', so let's go out for a walk together."
In Zhang Yuzhong's view, this year's Spring Festival has a particularly strong flavor, and there is a sense of "global Chinese reunion".
Not only did he fly back to Taiwan from the mainland, many childhood friends also returned to their hometown from the United States, Canada or other places to celebrate the New Year, and it was rare for everyone to get together.
"It feels really different. In addition, the weather in Taiwan is very good, everyone gets together, and the atmosphere is great." He said that after the holiday, he will continue to stay in Taiwan for a while, and then return to the mainland to continue his work , "Hopefully the flight will be smoother by then," he said.
Guo Xueyun: Find interesting differences in making red envelopes for parents
"Taipei Girl" Guo Xueyun finally returned to her family this year after several years of Spring Festival in Beijing.
"I'm always happy to see my family. It's a very familiar feeling. I will also hurry to see what convenience stores are selling in Taiwan and what restaurants are popular now."
Flying back to Taiwan from Beijing during the Chinese New Year, Guo Xueyun's itinerary was generally smooth, but because many Taiwanese friends working in the mainland chose to return to Taiwan during the Chinese New Year, the price of the flight to and from the two sides of the Taiwan Strait was relatively high.
"Because my family is not a very traditional family, we just have a meal on New Year's Eve." Guo Xueyun said, but this year she specially wrapped red envelopes for her parents to show her filial piety.
"I found a very interesting thing, that is, we give red envelopes to our parents in Taiwan, but it doesn't seem to be the case in mainland China." She also communicated with friends and found that it is a custom in Taiwan to give red envelopes to others after work, and They will express their affection to the elders, but in mainland China, the red envelopes seem to be more for the younger generation.
Guo Xueyun also said that Taiwan has a very strong Chinese New Year atmosphere. During the Spring Festival, many shops are closed, there are a lot of firecrackers outside, and the New Year's Eve dinner is more sumptuous than usual.
She has also observed some changes, including encountering more people on the street talking about work and life in the mainland, and visiting night markets and finding vendors selling mainland snacks.
After the holiday, Guo Xueyun will return to Beijing.
"The relationship between the two sides of the strait is very close, so the demand for exchanges is also high." She said that she hopes that in the future there will be more opportunities for young people to communicate with each other, and she also hopes that there will be more flights to make it easier for everyone to travel and go home.
Huang Baixiang: Looking forward to smooth exchanges during the warm Spring Festival
Huang Baixiang, who is engaged in financial leasing related work in Beijing, returned to his hometown of Kaohsiung during the Chinese New Year.
He was very excited, "I work in mainland China, and I am very happy to be able to come back to see my parents and experience the New Year in Taiwan. My family members are also very happy to see me."
"The weather in southern Taiwan is relatively warm, and the flavor of the New Year is also very strong. During the New Year, we will go to temples to 'give thanks', etc. My family will also have New Year's Eve dinners and watch TV programs together. In fact, it is quite similar to mainland China." Huang Baixiang said.
In addition to being reunited with his family, Huang Baixiang also met many old friends when he returned to Taiwan this time.
"Many friends from Taiwan are asking when they can go to the mainland, including tourism, work, etc. I see that many people are looking forward to cross-strait exchanges." He said.
Huang Baixiang also told reporters that this time back to Taiwan, the flight is tighter than before and the ticket price is higher, but the ticket purchase process is smooth.
"I hope that more flights can be opened in the future to facilitate travel between the two sides of the strait. Exchanges and communication are more convenient, which is always a good thing." (End)