CrossStrait ferry routes see thousands of Taiwan compatriots return to ancestral homes

　　Genealogy matching services are offered at a port in Nan'an, Quanzhou, Fujian province, on Friday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

　　Cross-Strait ferry routes witnessed a significant travel surge during Qingming Festival as thousands of Taiwan compatriots returned to their ancestral homes on the mainland for tomb sweeping and family reunions.

　　According to the Fujian Maritime Safety Administration, the four "Mini Three Links" routes —which provide direct maritime transport between coastal areas of East China's Fujian province and the islands of Jinmen and Matsu — handled 6,655 passenger trips on Saturday, representing a year-on-year increase of 22.5 percent.

　　Among them, the Xiamen-Jinmen route, known for being short, frequent, and cost-effective, saw nearly 6,000 cross-Strait travelers on Saturday, with Taiwan compatriots accounting for over 70 percent of the total.

　　Total passenger volume at the Xiamen-Jinmen route over the three-day holiday is expected to reach nearly 20,000, according to local border inspection authorities.

　　Li Yung-hung, who arrived in Xiamen during the holiday via the ferry route from Taiwan, said that it's a tradition for her family to return to their ancestral home for tomb sweeping so that the next generation will know that their roots are on the mainland.

　　Chen Jinlai, deputy chief of the Gaoqi Border Inspection Station in Xiamen, said, "About 80 percent of Taiwan compatriots have their ancestral roots in Fujian, and Qingming Festival is the most vivid manifestation that both sides of the Strait are one family."

　　Genealogy matching services were offered on Friday at a port in Nan'an, Quanzhou, by the China Museum for Fujian-Taiwan Kinship and the Quanzhou Border Inspection Station. By scanning QR codes, Taiwan compatriots can register their needs to trace their family trees.

　　Since its opening in 2006, the museum has helped over 300 Taiwan compatriots find their ancestral roots.

　　Compatriots from both sides of the Taiwan Strait consult ancestral genealogies in Quanzhou. [Photo provided to China Daily]

　　Staff members of the Wutong Passenger Terminal in Xiamen, Fujian province, assist Taiwan compatriots in completing entry procedures to cope with the holiday travel peak. [Photo provided to China Daily]

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