The 17th Cross-Strait Tea Industry Expo, held in Wuyishan, Fujian Province, has become a platform for fostering connections between Taiwanese and mainland tea industries. Li Ya-chun, a fourth-generation tea maker from Taiwan, showcased his family’s renowned Tung-ting Oolong tea at the event, which ran for five days and concluded on Thursday. This marked Li’s first participation in the expo, where he engaged with mainland business professionals to explore collaboration opportunities and gain insights into local market trends. The expo, hosted in the birthplace of black and oolong teas, highlighted the deepening cultural and economic ties across the Taiwan Strait. This year’s Taiwan pavilion featured a record 200 booths, a 14.3% increase from the previous session. Li hails from Lugu, a major tea-growing region in Nantou, Taiwan, where the origins of Tung-ting Oolong tea trace back to Wuyi Mountain in Fujian. The tea’s history dates to the Qing Dynasty when Lin Feng-chi, a scholar from Lugu, brought Qingxin Oolong saplings from Wuyi Mountain to Taiwan. These saplings flourished in the Tung-ting area, evolving into the celebrated tea variety known today. Li emphasized the shared heritage of tea culture, noting that his family frequently exchanges knowledge with Fujian tea farmers. The expo also celebrated the 20th anniversary of cooperation between Wuyi Mountain and Taiwan’s Ali Mountain. Lai Yueh-tchien, a cross-Strait commentator, highlighted tea’s role as a cultural bridge, carrying shared memories and emotions. The event concluded with a cultural gala integrating tea heritage and modern technology, attended by 80 young tea professionals from both sides of the Strait.