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Cross-Straits relations: Taiwan youth starts business, and dreams, in Xiamen
Updated 16:46, 17-Jun-2023
Zheng Yibing
02:14

Cultural identity brought a group of young people from Taiwan region to a village called Chengxia in the city of Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province to start up their business. 

The youths view the village as their ancestral home as it boasts the origin of their City God Temple in Taipei which links the mainland and Taiwan. 

The temple was rebuilt by worshipers from the region who came back to find their roots. 

"We like the village very much and we want it to have better development," said Wu Ping-chang, the head of the Cross-Straits Youth Cultural Travel Base here. 

The City God Temple in Chengxia Village in the city of Xiamen is viewed by Taiwan locals as the origin of a famous temple in Taipei. /CGTN
The City God Temple in Chengxia Village in the city of Xiamen is viewed by Taiwan locals as the origin of a famous temple in Taipei. /CGTN

The City God Temple in Chengxia Village in the city of Xiamen is viewed by Taiwan locals as the origin of a famous temple in Taipei. /CGTN

Wu took CGTN to a courtyard, which he said was part of their base for the rural revitalization of the village.  

"It shows our traditional culture in Fujian and Taiwan. Now, it offers an experience of the traditional Chinese marriage customs," he said. 

The 33-year-old Wu said that he has been working for five years on these cultural elements, and his family back in Taiwan are supporting him.  

He has many business partners also from Taiwan, and they are working at different sectors and helping each other. 

A group of young people from Taiwan are operating a business for rural revitalization in the Chengxia village. /CGTN
A group of young people from Taiwan are operating a business for rural revitalization in the Chengxia village. /CGTN

A group of young people from Taiwan are operating a business for rural revitalization in the Chengxia village. /CGTN

"I am mainly doing the multimedia products here to let college students from both sides to come here for the rural revitalization, either through the multimedia or the cultural and creative designs," said Lai Shu-jen in the village.  

"Many students from both sides and from Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions are moved by what they are doing, and they have joined or participated in the revitalization of villages like this," she said. 

Their partner Cheng Meng-huan is an experiential education teacher in the village. 

"I chose to start a business here because I have a vision that experiential education gives me, and I really hope that people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits can really see each other," he said. 

Traditional cultural elements in the village are the cultural identity both people in Fujian and Taiwan share. /CGTN
Traditional cultural elements in the village are the cultural identity both people in Fujian and Taiwan share. /CGTN

Traditional cultural elements in the village are the cultural identity both people in Fujian and Taiwan share. /CGTN

"And then through a state like this, and then my career can actually have a stable growth, and then I feel that this thing can be done, why don't I do it?" he smiled. 

These young people have been deeply integrated into life here and happy to share their stories with more young people who share the same cultural identity, especially during the ongoing 15th Straits Forum in Xiamen.  

And their happiness comes from the bottom of their hearts when they play music and sing songs to people around them. 

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