Cultural exchange as a bridge across the Strait

In his report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized the need to encourage people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to work together to promote Chinese culture and forge closer bonds. The recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) reaffirm this direction, listing deepening cross-Strait exchange and cooperation and jointly preserving and carrying forward Chinese culture as a key task in Taiwan-related work.

Deepening cross-Strait cultural exchange and integration is therefore not optional — it is necessary and must begin at the grassroots level. The following steps can help in the process.

First, cultural exchanges must be expanded to many other fields and at different levels. Greater efforts should be made to promote structured cooperation between the two sides in literature, the arts, film and television, publishing, creative industries, folk culture, religion, education, language, and sports. Through dialogue, joint research, co-productions, exhibitions, performances, and creative investment platforms, both sides can build cultural partnerships that are influential, sustainable and long-lasting.

Major platforms such as the Straits Forum and the Cross-Strait Chinese Culture Summit should continue to be strengthened, with broader participation and deeper coverage across cultural sectors. At the same time, outstanding cultural resources from across the Chinese mainland should be better integrated and matched with Taiwan's cultural communities at different levels. Policy frameworks must be further improved to support more regular and institutionalized cultural exchanges. Greater support should also be given to cultural non-governmental sectors, whose grassroots nature allows them to play unique and irreplaceable roles.

Second, equal treatment policies in the cultural sector must be better implemented. Preferential and equal treatment policies for Taiwan enterprises and professionals should be refined and better aligned with real needs in today's cultural industries. Practical measures — such as easier procedures for certification, performances, exhibitions and agency services — should be introduced. Taiwan's cultural professionals should be encouraged to join mainland cultural institutions, participate in major cultural projects, and compete for professional awards.

The goal is to offer broader platforms for Taiwan's cultural workers, enabling them to integrate naturally into mainland cultural life — not as outsiders, but as shared contributors to Chinese culture and co-creators of its future.

Third, Taiwan compatriots should be fully engaged in the inheritance, development and innovation of Chinese culture. In the ongoing effort to build a modern Chinese civilization, Taiwan compatriots are indispensable participants and also its beneficiaries. At this historical juncture, both sides should jointly protect and pass on China's outstanding traditional culture and cultural heritage. Cross-Strait cooperation can include shared participation in traditional festivals, folk beliefs and local cultural practices, as well as joint compilation of histories, gazetteers, dictionaries and textbooks.

By leveraging complementary strengths, cultural industries on both sides can achieve deeper integration, promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional culture. Cultural workers should also collaborate internationally, bringing Chinese culture to the world and showcasing its enduring appeal.

Fourth, a shared cross-Strait value framework should be fostered. As the mainland advances the "second integration" of Chinese culture and opens new horizons for modern Chinese civilization, greater effort should be made to align core cultural values across the Strait. This shared framework should reflect the contemporary relevance of traditional virtues — benevolence, people-centered governance, integrity, justice, harmony and the pursuit of the common good — while also resonating with global values such as peace, development, democracy and freedom.

Jointly shaping such a value system is not only essential for cross-Strait understanding, but also a natural requirement of national rejuvenation.

Fifth, the large-scale participation of Taiwan youth in rural development in Fujian province has produced remarkable results. It has injected momentum into local revitalization while offering young people from Taiwan meaningful opportunities to integrate into mainland society.

These successful practices should be further extended to other provinces, encouraging more Taiwan youth to engage in rural development across the mainland and contribute to the revitalization of traditional Chinese culture in the countryside.

Sixth, new media should be leveraged to engage youth and promote living cultural heritage through two-way interaction. Short videos, social media communities, and livestreaming platforms — empowered by digital and intelligent technologies — can form a new engine for cross-Strait cultural exchange. Following a clear logic chain of "cultural roots–symbolic expression–technological empowerment–shared aesthetics", young people on both sides can become active co-creators.

One approach is to jointly explore shared intangible cultural heritage and folk traditions, linking grassroots organizations and artisans to co-manage new media accounts. Through short videos, online communities, and livestreamed workshops, artisans can demonstrate their crafts and teach skills in real time.

Another is to tailor content to youth preferences by combining short videos, cultural product co-creation and online discussions. Traditional patterns and folk stories can be reimagined in contemporary forms such as animation. Young people from both sides should be encouraged to create and share videos, showcase cultural designs and participate in online dialogues. This can transform the cultural exchange into a vibrant, participatory and living process. In doing so, China's fine traditional culture can serve as a shared spiritual bond to bring hearts and minds together across the Taiwan Strait.