When visiting the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum in Beijing, Tsai Shang Lin, a postgraduate student from Fu Jen Catholic University, a private university in New Taipei, a municipality in north Taiwan, China, was excited to pose for pictures against the ancient architectural backdrop. It is, after all, the largest and best-preserved ancient wooden palace complex in the world that housed China's imperial palace from the 15th century to the early 20th century. "I've read about it in Taiwan's textbooks and history books, and today, I finally got to see the real deal," Tsai, also a culture and history lover, told Beijing Review. 

Cheng Huan Yu and Hsiao Nai Wen, two undergraduate students from the same university, echoed Tsai, adding that, "It is different from the Palace Museum in Taipei; Taipei's is mostly indoors, while this one is mainly outdoors."

The museum in Taipei is home to hundreds of thousands of art pieces from the Chinese imperial collection and historical relics that were once kept in Beijing. In 1948-49, these relics were taken by the Kuomintang (KMT) regime retreating to Taiwan.

The Chinese mainland and Taiwan have been politically separated since the Chinese civil war (1946-49) ended in a Communist victory in 1949, which in turn saw the KMT authorities flee to the island of Taiwan.

From January 24 to 29, more than 20 university students from Taiwan, including Tsai, Cheng and Hsiao, arrived in Beijing to participate in the 30th Winter Camp for Taiwan Youth (Beijing Sub-Camp). During this weeklong program, they participated in site visits and cultural exchange events, experienced Beijing's profound historical and cultural heritage, and enjoyed some ice and snow activities. Participants were mostly from the athletic department at Fu Jen Catholic University, with several coming from other universities and companies in Taiwan.

The program is organized by the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots, with more than 500 Taiwan youth participating in sub-camps in 14 different provinces to promote exchange and mutual understanding. The federation was founded in 1981 and consists of Taiwan compatriots living on the mainland. The event was first held in 1989 to promote cross-Straits exchanges. Since then, more than 7,000 young Taiwan residents have participated.

A cultural bond 

The young adults on January 26 visited the China National Archives of Publications and Culture. Headquartered in Beijing, the institute's three branches are in Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, Xi'an in Shaanxi Province and Guangzhou in Guangdong Province.

Integrating exhibition halls, libraries, archives, museums and more, the archives collect physical embodiments of China's "published cultural heritage" such as ancient books, opera masks and stamps that document the evolution of Chinese civilization.

Inside the archives, the ubiquitous traditional Chinese characters catch the eye. The Chinese mainland uses simplified Chinese characters, whereas Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan Province use traditional characters. "I recognize every character, but decoding the sentences is a whole different thing for me," Cheng jokingly said, because they are written in classical Chinese, in which the ancient classics of Chinese literature were written.

Standing in the front of a scroll of the Diamond Sutra, a Sanskrit text translated into Chinese, Chen Po Jui, another student from Fu Jen Catholic University, read it skillfully. "I learned it in Taiwan," he told Beijing Review. Looking at old maps of China from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) as well as other periods in imperial history, the young adults were eager to find Taiwan and see what it was called back then.

Despite political divisions, the cultural ties between the mainland and the island remain resilient. A shared history, language and cultural heritage persist, serving as a bridge connecting the hearts and minds of people on both sides.

Tsai said the cultural landmarks and historical sites resonated deeply with him, as he found many similarities with Taiwan.

Coming to the mainland 

Before visiting Beijing, Su Chun Jung, a staff member of a laser company in Taiwan, together with other program participants spent a few days traveling through the mainland's northeastern provinces. He mentioned everyone there had been very hospitable, even more so when learning that he was from Taiwan. "They called us 'little pineapples'," Su said.

"Little pineapple" is a nickname people in northeast China give to tourists from Taiwan.

Recently, going to northeast China to experience the charm of ice and snow has become the hottest thing to do, attracting many tourists from the country's southern parts. These visitors are affectionately dubbed nanfang xiaotudou or "southern spuds" due to their relatively small stature compared to people up north. Some provinces or cities have been given nicknames based on their local characteristics. For example, "little sugar tangerines" refer to tourists from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China.

Previously, a video starring a young girl from Taiwan who goes by the nickname "little danggui," or "little Angelica," expressing her desire to visit the city of Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province had gained widespread popularity online. Mainland netizens warmly welcomed her to come and visit the Ice City, a very popular winter destination.

In the video, the Taiwanese girl and her mother have an interesting conversation. When the girl expresses her desire to visit Harbin, her mother tells her that she would be called "little pineapple," which is a specialty of Taiwan. However, the girl responds: "Daddy said I am not a 'little pineapple,' but a 'little danggui'." Meaning "Angelica," a biennial herb, the two Chinese characters of danggui literally mean "should return." Netizens often use the term to express the sentiment that Taiwan should reunite with the mainland. 

Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, China's highest state administrative organ, said at a regular press conference on January 17 that, "Whether called 'little pineapples' or 'little danggui,' children from Taiwan, together with 'little sugar tangerines,' 'little wild mushrooms,' and 'little pandas,' are our own Chinese children. They will undoubtedly be showered with endless affection and warm hospitality. We warmly welcome young and adult friends from Taiwan to visit the mainland, explore the magnificent landscapes, and witness the new look of our motherland."

According to Huang Po Fang, an assistant professor of sports at Fu Jen Catholic University as well as Vice President of the Taiwan Youth Sports Education and Cultural Exchange Development Association, all program participants pay roughly 18,000 TWD ($579), which covers their roundtrip tickets between Taiwan and Beijing. Usually, the Taiwan compatriots associations in different provinces on the mainland cover local expenditures.

Many young people are interested in the things happening on the mainland, Huang told Beijing Review. 

"Listening to others talk about the mainland is not as valuable as experiencing it," Hsu Peng Cheng, a lecturer of sports at Fu Jen Catholic University, told Beijing Review, adding that when seeing the mainland's good living standards, Taiwan residents might adjust their opinions about it.

In regards to the many discussions about cross-Straits relations on social media, Hsu said the information obtained online always needs to be verified.

"We hope everyone can make more friends during the trip," Bai Tianliang, President of the Beijing Taiwan Compatriots Association, said at a welcome dinner on January 25. Bai further expressed her hope that the Taiwan youth take this opportunity to take photos and record videos, and share these beautiful moments with their friends on the island.

(Print Edition Title: Getting Better Acquainted) 

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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