“How lucky I am to have a friend like you…” On the evening of July 23, the fourth Cross-Strait Youth Culture Month kicked off with the cheerful opening song and dance “Friends Like You”.

The 4th Cross-Strait Youth Culture Month opens in Suzhou

Cross-Strait Youth Culture Month is an exchange platform created by Jiangsu for young people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. It will be held for the first time in Suzhou in 2021. This cultural month is co-organized by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the People's Government of Jiangsu Province. With the theme of "United as One, Youth Power", it highlights small-scale exchanges and experiential interactions to promote empathy and integration among young people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Xu Kunlin, Deputy Secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee and Governor of Jiangsu Province, and other people from all walks of life in Jiangsu, as well as more than 1,000 people from all walks of life and youth representatives on the island attended the opening ceremony and main events.

The opening ceremony was held at the newly built Suzhou Shishan Grand Theater. The scene was also connected to the very "city" Shishan market outside the venue in real time. 102 stalls displayed a wide variety of goods, including Suzhou intangible cultural heritage handicrafts and specialties from Taiwan.

Taiwanese band Nan Quan Mama and mainland band Liu Lai Si performed on the same stage

On the stage, the classic Taiwanese band Nan Quan Mama and the mainland Liu Laisi band performed together, performing youth rock songs from different eras. Let young souls meet and gather in Suzhou. The Cultural Month coincided with the Paris Olympics. The opening ceremony invited sports clubs from both sides of the Taiwan Strait. The cool diabolo, wonderful Chinese Kung Fu, and the dynamic stage showed the vigorous vitality of young people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The 4th Cross-Strait Youth Culture Month opens in Suzhou

Dance is a common language for all mankind. The Dream Builders Dance Company from Taiwan and the Suwu Alliance Street Dance Company from Jiangsu performed on the same stage, bringing a dynamic and hot street dance show that ignited the atmosphere on and off the stage.

The Dream Builder Dance Troupe from Taiwan and the Suwu Alliance Street Dance Troupe from Jiangsu Province performed a dance battle on the same stage

Tian Jinyu, the head of the Dream Builder Dance Troupe, told the Modern Express reporter that he had been coming to the mainland to participate in street dance competitions since 2015. He met many mainland friends through dancing and looked forward to dancing with them every time. "During this cultural month, we also taught some children in Suzhou to dance. They worked very hard and were eager to learn.”

   Taiwanese youth Wang Houjie (center) shares his experience of struggling in mainland China

Taiwanese youth Wang Houjie has been in the mainland for nearly 30 years. He is the fourth-generation successor of Taiwan Chung-Hwa Pharmaceutical. His father founded Suzhou Chung-Hwa at the foot of Lion Mountain. On the stage of the opening ceremony, he emotionally shared his experience of struggling in the mainland. As a young man, Wang Houjie sent a message to Taiwan's "first-time visitors": "Seeing is believing. I hope that all the young people present here have the opportunity to travel more and see more in the mainland, and maybe you will fall in love with this place like me."

The 4th Cross-Strait Youth Culture Month officially kicks off

As the bright moon rose over the scene, this cultural month officially kicked off and the opening ceremony came to an end. The audience sang the theme song "Sea of Youth" together. In the lyrics of "concentric circles, walking rhythms", the friendship between the young people on both sides of the strait merged into a sea of youth.

The audience sang the theme song "Sea of Youth" together

It is reported that the cultural month will last from late July to early September. During this period, Jiangsu will hold nearly 40 series of activities such as calligraphy and painting, sports, opera, animation, and markets, including the first Cross-Strait (Jiangsu) Youth Animation Week "Enjoy the Two Sides of the Strait and Draw the Future Together", the "My Family's Cross-Strait Story" Nanjing Exhibition, the 2024 Cross-Strait (Changzhou) Taihu Lake Exchange Activities, the "Plum Charms for Thousands of Years and Fame on Both Sides of the Strait" Cross-Strait (Taizhou) Art and Culture Week, and exchanges in the beauty, cultural creation, photography and other industries, to create a cultural carnival for young people on both sides of the strait. A total of more than 2,500 Taiwanese youth will participate.

Modern Express/Modern+ reporter Long Qiuli/text Liu Chang/photo