'Family members' interact and learn

One memorable experience during our visit to Taiwan was attending a professional baseball game on the second day. Baseball is a relatively unfamiliar sport to students on the Chinese mainland, so many of us, myself included, had never watched a game before, not even on TV.

So, before going to the game, I was a little worried that we wouldn't understand the rules or feel connected to the atmosphere in the stadium.

However, as soon as we entered the stadium, we were quickly infected by our Taiwan hosts' love of the sport and the competitive atmosphere on the field. We immersed ourselves in the game, waving our cheer sticks and encouraging the players by the use of chants like the people around us.

After the game ended and we returned to the bus, we discussed the many exciting moments in the stadium, shouting some of the newly learned chants. They left a deep impression and have stuck with us.

Furthermore, as a history student, I was thrilled to visit the Palace Museum in Taipei and see many treasures displayed that contain the shared cultural and historical roots between both sides of the Strait.

I had visited Taiwan before, and this time I was once again captivated by the breathtaking beauty of the island's landscape.

One particular scene that left me in awe was a visit to the Qingshui Cliffs in Hualien. These magnificent cliffs and their unique geological structures stand directly against the deep-blue Pacific Ocean. It truly was an awe-inspiring sight that left me with a profound sense of wonder.

We also engaged in many wide-ranging discussions with our Taiwan counterparts on topics such as academic research, hobbies and various aspects of life.

To my surprise, I discovered that young people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait share many similar experiences and thoughts.

It was a lovely feeling to receive messages from our Taiwan friends, wishing us a safe journey when we flew back to Beijing.

Those gestures made us feel appreciated and reminded us of the strong bonds we had formed.

Our entire visit to Taiwan was a journey of encountering and loving. I believe that as the interactions and exchanges between young students from both sides of the Taiwan Strait continue to increase, more young people from Taiwan will fall in love with the mainland and more young mainlanders will appreciate and love Taiwan. This is a friendly and enthusiastic interaction between family members.

WEN YUNHAO SPOKE WITH ZHANG YI.