Joint innovative efforts

The shared Chinese cultural heritage across the Taiwan Strait also resonated with Yu Chi-hsuan, who moved to Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in 2019.

Yu, deputy general manager of Hangzhou Jingshan Resort, has been exploring the millennium-old tea culture of Jingshan Mountain in Yuhang, Hangzhou.

In 2022, the Jingshan Tea Ceremony, which has a history of more than 1,200 years, was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Tea culture is an important part of Chinese culture, Yu said, noting that her hometown of Hsinchu in Taiwan is well known for its Oriental Beauty Tea.

"Fine traditional Chinese culture is a shared root connecting compatriots and young people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait," she said.

Drawing on her research into Jingshan tea culture, Yu participated in the creation of the "Lu Yu and Tea Monk" cultural and tourism intellectual property, integrating traditional Jingshan tea culture with modern creative concepts.

Before moving to the mainland, Yu said her friends in Taiwan were concerned about her decision. Over the past seven years, each time she returned to Taiwan, she shared her experiences in Hangzhou and invited friends to visit the mainland. "Misunderstandings shaped by one-sided media coverage can be dispelled through exchanges," she said.

Animation director Hsueh, emphasized the importance of cultural exchange, which he described as vital to the preservation and transmission of heritage.

Born in 1973, Hsueh now lives in Wuhan, Hubei province, and his company is developing animated characters inspired by the Three Kingdoms (220-280) period and a board game based on the historical background of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

"When I work with colleagues on the mainland, we often come up with better ideas together," he said, noting that the mainland's profound cultural heritage, combined with the lively and dynamic creativity of Taiwan creators, has produced widely popular cultural and creative products.

Recently, the mainland released a package of 10 policy measures aimed at promoting cross-Strait exchanges, which includes encouraging joint media production and exchange of film and television works to promote Chinese culture.

Reflecting on his own experience on the mainland, which he described as broadening and enriching, Hsueh encouraged young people from Taiwan to seize the opportunities.

"Let us move forward shoulder to shoulder across the Strait in deeper cooperation," he said.

lishangyi@chinadaily.com.cn