Over the past few years, many cross-strait exchanges have brought more people from Taiwan to live in the mainland. They come to visit, study, work, and even get married. As Taiwan's administration is going into a transition, how do these Taiwan residents see the cross-strait ties going forward?
Huang Jinneng is a tycoon in a laundry business.
This is the very first store the Taiwan businessman started 18 years ago.
Over the past few years, his business has grown dramatically fast. In fact, there are over one-thousand stores carrying the name of "Taiwan Elephant King" across the mainland.
He has already moved his headquarters to Shanghai and established wide networks on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
"People from both sides are from the same root. It is not necessary to divide them into 'you' or 'we'," Huang said.
Like many Taiwan businessmen investing on the mainland, Huang hopes the status quo can remain.
"The cross-strait ties reached a peak during Ma Ying-jeou's administration. The relations have become very close and exchanges have been more constant. This is very positive as people can deeply engage and understand. We hope the cross-strait ties can remain harmoniously," Huang said.
Wang Minlan, a second-generation Taiwan resident, is very active in the Taiwan community in Shanghai.
"Many Taiwan people living on the mainland think the investment, education, and living standards are quite good. They are enjoying a comfortable lifestyle here. They are hoping the improvement on the cross-strait ties during the Ma Ying-jeou administration can be maintained. For them, this means better personal development prospects," Wang said.
There are also newcomers like Ian Chen, who's working as an auditor in a company in Shanghai.
"I was raised and educated in Taiwan. I got this opportunity to work in Shanghai after my college graduation. My target is to develop my career in the Chinese community across Asia. Shanghai hosts a lot of opportunity as it's a key business hub in Asia. The mainland market is a way bigger than that of Taiwan. So I hope to jumpstart my career here while I’m still young," said Ian Chen, Taiwan-born auditor in Shanghai.
So, as a young professional, what does he think of the cross-strait situation?
"I can accept the status quo. Of course, I think it's best to have more cooperation between both sides. And after May 20th, in my point of view, I don’t think there will be many aggressive changes. Things might go in a relatively conservative manner. After all, people want better life, not more conflicts," Chen said.
Almost half a million people from Taiwan now work and live in the greater Shanghai area. And why not? It only takes just half an hour to fly direct to Taipei. And entry permits have been scrapped for Taiwan residents. These benefits, among many others, are the results of improved cross-strait ties over the past years. Moving forward, the Taiwan community here in Shanghai says, they hope such trends will not change, and they look forward to greater cross-strait exchanges in the future.
