On February 1, the opening ceremony of the "Shared Youth, Shantou-Taiwan Partnership" 2026 Shantou-Taiwan Youth Exchange Season was held in Shantou. The event, organized by the Shantou Taiwan Affairs Office and co-hosted by Shantou Culture and Arts School, Taiwan Dream Takeoff Orchestra, and Taiwan Ying Yue Chamber Orchestra, featured a youth cultural performance and a spring gathering for Taiwanese compatriots in Shantou. Youth representatives from the Municipal Communist Youth League and Youth Federation, alongside Taiwanese compatriots and business delegates from the Taiwan Democratic Self-Government League, Taiwan Compatriots Association, and Taiwanese Business Association, joined members of the Taiwan Dream Takeoff Orchestra and Nantou County Youth Art Troupe. Together, they used cultural performances to build bridges for exchange, fostering friendship and cooperation between Shantou and Taiwanese youth. Dignitaries jointly inaugurated the 2026 Shantou-Taiwan Youth Exchange Season.
The opening ceremony showcased a vibrant youth cultural performance, including choral singing, instrumental music, Teochew opera excerpts, solo performances, situational dramas, piano recitals, and dances. Youth from both sides of the strait shared the stage, expressing camaraderie through diverse art forms. The event concluded with a chorus of "We Are All One Family," whose familiar melody echoed the shared roots and kinship across the strait. Young officials from the Municipal Taiwan Affairs Office presented achievements in Shantou-Taiwan exchanges under the theme "What Connects Our Hearts."
As a key initiative for youth interaction, the 2026 Shantou-Taiwan Youth Exchange Season adopts the "Shared Youth, Shantou-Taiwan Partnership" theme and will run throughout the year. It invites Taiwanese compatriots, businesspeople, youth, teachers, and students to participate alongside Shantou youth groups, schools, and enterprises. The season features ten specialized activities spanning culture, sports, and folk traditions. These include artistic exchanges in music, calligraphy, and painting; explorations of folk culture such as shared beliefs and Zheng Chenggong cultural studies; sports events like a youth basketball friendship match; and commemorations of the 160th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen's birth. Through diverse formats, the program aims to build a multi-level, broad-based platform for dialogue, promoting mutual understanding and progress among youth.
The visit to Shantou served as a positive start for the Taiwanese delegates. Lan Yicheng, leader of the Taiwan Ying Yue Chamber Orchestra, noted that Shantou's urban landscape exceeded expectations, and its local cuisine left a deep impression. Chen Xizhen, head of the Taiwan Dream Takeoff Orchestra, visited Shantou for the first time with young performers presenting piano, guzheng, and dance acts. She expressed admiration for the city's vibrancy, authentic Teochew food, and impressive museum collections. Liu Mengyuan, deputy head of the orchestra, returning for a second time, praised Shantou's scenic beauty, the lively atmosphere of Xiaogongyuan Historical Cultural Block, and unique museum exhibits, expressing eagerness for further exchanges.
Students from the Teochew Opera program at Shantou Culture and Arts School demonstrated the distinctive charm of this traditional art. In recent years, Shantou has deepened cross-strait cooperation through varied activities. In 2025, the city hosted events including the Shantou-Taiwan Youth Exchange Season, the 12th Taiwanese Youth Lingnan Tour and 8th Nanao Acacia Flower Series, Shantou-Yunlin emergency rescue technical exchanges, the 2nd Shantou-Yunlin Youth Basketball Friendship Match, legal service对接 exchanges, and the Shantou-Taiwan Industrial-Commercial Cooperation Development Conference alongside the 2nd Shantou-Yunlin Integration Development Week. These initiatives attracted 41 exchange groups totaling 963 Taiwanese participants, including 358 youth, significantly enhancing cultural and economic ties. Additionally, Shantou promoted cultural outreach by dispatching Yingge dance troupes to Taiwan, showcasing intangible heritage. Taiwanese compatriots and businesses in Shantou have contributed actively to local development, donating approximately 1.2 million yuan to initiatives like the "Hundreds, Thousands, and Tens of Thousands Project" and green urban construction, demonstrating practical solidarity.
"Shantou will become a stage for Taiwanese youth to pursue and realize their dreams on the mainland," stated Chen Yuzhong, standing director of the Shantou Taiwanese Business Association. The launch of the 2026 exchange season, he said, will open new windows for Taiwanese youth to experience Shantou's developmental energy and cultural appeal, helping them identify opportunities through interaction. As future activities unfold, they are expected to deepen mutual understanding and collaborative synergy, painting a brighter picture for Shantou-Taiwan integration. The event was attended by Cai Yingzi, Director of the Shantou Taiwan Affairs Office, Huang Ruihui, Deputy Party Secretary and Principal of Shantou Culture and Arts School, and other guests.