The 2026 Qingming Festival holiday brought a notable surge in cross-Strait travel along the ‘Mini Three Links’ ferry routes, with official data recording a year-on-year rise in passenger volumes that underscores growing people-to-people exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Between April 1 and 6, the ferry routes connecting mainland China’s Fujian province to the Taiwan-administered islands of Jinmen and Matsu handled 34,100 passenger trips, marking a 9.49 percent increase compared to the same period last year. This data was shared by Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, during a press briefing on April 8.
First established to facilitate direct small-scale travel, trade and postal services between Fujian and the outlying Taiwan-controlled islands, the ‘Mini Three Links’ has long emerged as one of the most critical and accessible transportation arteries for cross-Strait interactions. It is particularly relied on by residents of Fujian and Taiwan for routine visits, family reunions, and cultural exchanges, Zhu noted.
To accommodate the holiday travel rush, port management authorities across Fujian rolled out targeted service upgrades and enhanced cross-agency coordination. Special green channels were activated to guarantee priority passage for cross-Strait ferries, reducing wait times for travelers. On the busy Xiamen-Jinmen route, dedicated family lanes and oversized baggage processing channels remained operational around the clock throughout the holiday to serve groups traveling with children or carrying large personal items. The Fuzhou-Matsu route added six extra round-trip sailings to meet unmet demand from passengers looking to travel during the tomb-sweeping holiday.
Beyond transportation upgrades, local authorities at the Quanzhou-Jinmen terminal partnered with a regional museum to host a special Qingming Festival-themed cultural event and exhibition. The exhibition centered on highlighting the shared ancestral and cultural roots that bind communities on both sides of the Strait.
Zhu added that the Qingming holiday, a traditional time for ancestral remembrance in Chinese culture, saw large numbers of Taiwan compatriots travel across the Strait to participate in worship and memorial activities. Many traveled from Taiwan to ancestral hometowns across the mainland to hold family worship ceremonies and clan gatherings, while a group of Taiwan representatives attended the annual public memorial ceremony for the Yellow Emperor — the legendary common ancestor of the Chinese nation — held in Shaanxi province.
These annual activities serve as a powerful reminder of the deep, unbroken sense of kinship that connects people across the Taiwan Strait, Zhu emphasized.