The ups and downs of ties between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan haven't stopped people getting married, bringing a new meaning to the term "cross-Strait relations". CGTN's Han Peng visited the southeastern city of Fuzhou and filed this report.  

This bakery is like any other in China except for one thing - the owner is a couple who made a cross-strait marriage happen. Back in the 1990s, it was rather difficult for Chen Jingqiu to marry a mainlander because Taiwan and the Chinese mainland were nearly on the brink of war. The owner of the bakery said it was equivalent to the situation on the Korean peninsula nowadays. But now things are looking up.

CUSTOMER "Here, I can sample the healthiest desserts - you don't find any additives in them."

Living in a villa in Fuzhou, their life is quite desirable. But it was not like this when they first met.

CHEN JINGQIU BAKERY OWNER "The Chinese Mainland was backward. The roads weren't cement-paved, and I could feel the bumpy roads even if I was in a car."

WANG CHUNCHENG BUSINESSMAN "At the time, Taiwan's economy was much better than the mainland's, because the mainland was not opened to Taiwan yet. Economy-wise, there was a big gap."

Politics was not taboo in their marriage, but they would never let it creep into their lives.

WANG CHUNCHENG BUSINESSMAN "We were not really worried about the cross-Strait politics. As long as people's lives are getting better, I'm totally fine."

HAN PENG FUZHOU, FUJIAN "Over the past three decades, over 9,000 women born in Taiwan have married Chinese mainlanders in Fuzhou alone. They may have different political backgrounds, but they share the same culture and pursuit of better lives." 

Another couple was very much like this one. Chen Yiting, an investor from Taiwan, married Zheng Ruying back in the 1990s as well. But unfortunately for them, their parents were opposed to the marriage at the time.

CHEN YITING INVESTOR FROM TAIWAN "Her family used to have a bad impression of people from Taiwan. They thought some of us were charlatans. My family and friends had the same reaction then -- they were surprised that I would marry someone from the mainland."

But now it seems those were all unnecessary concerns. They make frequent visits to Taiwan, and their three kids are growing up well.

Both of the couples have been married for nearly two decades, and their kids are all working and living on the Chinese mainland, hoping to have more opportunities. HAN PENG, CGTN, FUZHOU.