On Jan 30, police officers board Quanfu, a Taiwan ship, to celebrate the Spring Festival with the crew in the Xiaocuo port, Quanzhou, Fujian province. [Photo by Hong Kunze/Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

With the Spring Festival coming soon, police officers celebrate the festival with the crew of Quanfu, a Taiwan ship that docks in the Xiaocuo port, Quanzhou, Fujian province.

On Jan 30, police officers at the Xiaocuo border checkpoint boarded the cargo ship to celebrate the Spring Festival with the captain, Huang Mingshun.

Huang was delighted and invited them to tour the ship. They set up a table on the deck to write couplets, hang lanterns and celebrate the Spring Festival together.

In 2023, 546 cross-Strait direct ships berthed at the Xiaocuo port, a year-on-year increase of 148.18 percent. As the number of Taiwan vessels traveling between the two sides rise, the Xiaocuo border checkpoint hired a service team that speaks the Minnan language, a dialect used in Taiwan and Fujian. During traditional holidays such as the Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, and Mid-Autumn Festival, they organize interactions with the crew to deepen the cross-Strait bond.