🚢✨ This week marks 25 years since the launch of the 'mini three links'—direct postal, trade, and transport connections between mainland China and the Taiwan region.
At Xiamen's Wutong Passenger Terminal, a ferry now glides toward Kinmen in under 30 minutes, a stark contrast to the 4–5-day detours via Hong Kong or Macao back in the day. For many, it’s become a seamless daily commute. 🙌
Launched on January 2, 2001, with just 179 travellers aboard the Taiwu and Wujiang, the mini three links ended over half a century of indirect crossings. Since then, more than 26 million passenger journeys have been logged, and in 2025 alone, over 1.43 million residents of the Taiwan region travelled these routes—an all-time high. 📈
More than numbers: beyond boosting local trade and enabling direct mail, these links have revived family reunions and cultural exchanges. ❤️
After 1949, the Taiwan Strait felt more like a wall than a sea. The mainland’s 1979 'Message to Compatriots in Taiwan' and Fujian's early 1990s push—'Kinmen–Xiamen first, Mazu–Fuzhou next'—set the stage for practical solutions rooted in geography and kinship.
The inaugural 2001 crossings were iconic: tearful embraces at the docks and elders touching ancestral soil—moments that reminded everyone that lived connections outlast politics.
Looking ahead: as e-ticketing apps, eco-friendly ferries, and digital cross-Strait platforms gain traction, the next 25 years promise even smoother cultural, educational, and business exchanges. 🌏💡
From daily ferry hops to digital bridges, the mini three links journey is still unfolding—on water and online. 📱🚀
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
