Taiwan trip by mainland actor is welcomed

Popular Chinese mainland actor Hu Ge paid a visit to Taiwan on Wednesday amid tense cross-Strait relations, which mainland authorities said would provide a rare opportunity for people from both sides to engage in exchanges.

Hu, known for his role as the protagonist A Bao in Blossoms Shanghai, one of the most popular television series this year, arrived in Taipei to a warm reception after receiving an invitation to the island from the Taipei Multimedia Production Association.

According to Taiwan media reports, Hu landed at Songshan Airport at noon, greeted fans warmly, expressed his happiness about the popularity of the drama and shared his hopes for more exchanges.

Chen Binhua, a spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday that Hu would participate in discussions with young film and television series creators from both sides of the Strait in Taipei on Wednesday.

"We are pleased to see more Taiwan fans and drama enthusiasts having the opportunity to meet mainland celebrities they admire," Chen said.

Hu's last visit to Taiwan was in 2018, when he was a guest at the Golden Horse Awards. Subsequent challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and strained cross-Strait relations made further visits to Taiwan difficult.

The island's mainland affairs authorities said that Hu's visit complied with relevant government regulations. They welcomed mainland entertainers to visit Taiwan to foster mutual understanding through film and TV works.

In recent years, many period dramas produced on the mainland like Blossoms Shanghai, which depicts life in the city in the 1990s, have become very popular. The highly anticipated second season of the mainland TV series Joy of Life premiered recently, captivating audiences in Taiwan, especially those born after 2000.

Chen said that the popularity of the shows proves that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share the same culture and roots, making it easy for them to resonate emotionally with cultural works such as films and TV series.

"The Chinese cultural 'genes' that flow in the blood of the Taiwan compatriots cannot be changed by the DPP authorities, despite their de-Sinicization policy or disruption of cross-Strait exchanges," he said.

He condemned the island's ruling Democratic Progressive Party authorities for refusing to lift a ban on group tours to the mainland, and said mainland tourism authorities will continue to promote regular cross-Strait exchanges in various fields.

Around 7,000 people from different walks of life in Taiwan will participate this month in the 16th Straits Forum, the largest cross-Strait grassroots exchange activity. It will be held in Fujian province and jointly hosted by 86 organizations from both sides of the Strait.