A group photo of campers at the summer camp. [Photo/tailian.org.cn]

The 21st Youth Summer Camp organized by the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots kicked off in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province, on July 3. Drawing around 1,500 participants from Taiwan, including university students and overseas Taiwan youth, the event is a significant cross-Strait youth exchange.

During the opening ceremony, Zheng Jianmin, the federation's president, marked the camp's start, highlighting its 20-year history as a prominent cross-Strait youth exchange event.

He stated that the ongoing success of the camp in recent years underscores the deep-rooted kinship between compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, reflecting their shared desire for closer ties and mutual understanding.

A student from the National Taichung University of Science and Technology, making her first visit to the mainland, found Fujian to be familiar and welcoming, noting the similarities in climate and cuisine between Fujian and Taiwan. She was excited to visit Meizhou Island, the birthplace of Mazu culture, to experience their shared cultural roots personally.

During their time in Fujian, the young people from Taiwan will not only engage in university visits and exchanges but also visit the Fujian Museum, explore the historical and cultural block of Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, and discover the Donghu Digital Town.

Since 2004, the annual event has been held 20 times, facilitating youth exchanges across the Taiwan Strait. Over 20,000 young people from Taiwan having participated, making the event a flagship project for youth exchanges across the Taiwan Strait.