Cyclists spur cross-Straits harmony

Teenagers from Taiwan are benefiting from learning more about the Chinese mainland. Zhang Yi and Hu Meidong report from Xiamen, Fujian.

A 40-strong cycling team named "Bike Angel", including teenage riders from Taiwan and volunteers from the Chinese mainland, toured Fujian, the closest province to the island, last year.

During the two-day summer ride, young people from Taiwan who live on the mainland visited many sites in southern Fujian that have close ties with the island, including a section of an undersea pipeline that delivers fresh water from the coastal province to Kinmen Island.

The ride marked the 10th edition of an annual cross-Straits charity cycle ride started by Taiwan resident Yang Min-chung as a way of helping orphans on the island realize their dream of cycling on the mainland.

In 2011, Yang often traveled to mainland cities as part of his work as a business consultant. However, when he was at home in Taiwan, he regularly visited orphanages to work as a volunteer assistant.

He shared what he had seen on the mainland with the children, piquing their interest. For their part, they were eager to visit the Bird's Nest stadium in the capital after it gained great popularity during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.