On the evening of May 18, a dazzling light show lit up both banks of the Yangtze River in Wuhan, Hubei province. In a gentle drizzle, a sightseeing boat slowly departed the dock. Chen Yuting stood on the open-air deck, letting the river breeze brush across her face as she took in the night scenery.

"The view reminds me of the Love River in my hometown of Kaohsiung, Taiwan," she said. "But the Love River feels more delicate, while the Yangtze River has a far grander presence."

The cruise was one of a series of youth exchange activities held in Hubei to promote communication and mutual understanding among young people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

More than 400 young participants and guests joined the cruise. On board, student volunteers from South-Central Minzu University in Wuhan had set up booths featuring handmade bookmarks, traditional Chinese knots, round fans and paper-cutting art.

"The essence of youth exchanges across the Strait lies in face-to-face interaction," said Wu Ying-chieh, an associate professor at the university."It's not about reading news reports or scrolling through online comment sections, but about seeing each other's lives up close."

Originally from Yilan in Taiwan, Wu has spent two decades promoting cross-Strait youth engagement. He often brings visitors from Taiwan to the university's Ethnology Museum, where they explore ethnic cultures through exhibits of traditional garments, handicrafts and everyday artifacts.

"For many, it is the first time they realize how diverse the ethnic cultures are on the Chinese mainland," Wu said."They are often surprised to find similarities with Taiwan's indigenous traditions."

That sense of cultural connection was echoed by Chen Xin, a 22-year-old journalism student at the university and a member of the Xibe ethnic group from Northeast China's Heilongjiang province. At a campus gathering later during the exchange activities, she wore the traditional attire of the Amis people — an indigenous group in Taiwan — and introduced the university's cross-Strait cultural studies program.

After the gathering, an Amis woman approached her and offered to gift her a traditional set of Amis clothing.

"There was a real sense of warmth," Chen Xin said. "It felt less like a formal exchange and more like a natural connection."

From visitors to residents

For some participants, Hubei is no longer simply a stop on an exchange itinerary. It has become a place to study, work and build a life.

Lee Yi-hsuan, a 20-year-old from Taoyuan, Taiwan, shared at the gathering how she came to study at Central China Normal University in Wuhan. With her mother originally from Hunan province, Lee decided after high school to pursue higher education on the Chinese mainland.

She had previously visited Wuhan as a tourist and was impressed by its large student population and the number of universities in the city. "It felt inclusive and full of vitality," she recalled.

After enrolling at the university in 2024, Lee gradually grew from a hesitant freshman into a confident student who now helps other young people from Taiwan adjust to campus life.

She also shares her study and daily-life experiences on Xiaohongshu, offering practical advice to those considering studying on the mainland.

Kan Chia-hua, 35, a urologist at the Central Hospital of Wuhan, has followed a longer path.

Originally from Hsinchu, Taiwan, he came to Wuhan in 2011 to study at Huazhong University of Science and Technology and stayed after completing his doctoral studies.

"When I first arrived, I could not understand the Wuhan dialect at all," he said.

More than a decade later, Kan can not only understand the dialect but also speak some of it himself. Even the way he addresses patients has changed. Instead of using the more formal terms common in Taiwan, such as "sir" or "miss", he has gradually adopted warmer local expressions.

Kan said policies supporting Taiwan residents on the mainland have opened broader professional opportunities. In Hubei, he was able to take medical licensing exams and complete standardized residency training under the same requirements as mainland doctors.

"I've grown together with Wuhan," he said. "Over the years, I've witnessed the city's rapid development while also improving myself."

Beyond his clinical work, Kan regularly joins volunteer medical outreach programs in rural Hubei, where he helps promote disease prevention and health awareness. This year, he received the Hubei Youth May Fourth Medal.

"The award is not only a personal honor, but also a form of encouragement for young people from Taiwan living on the mainland," he said. "As long as we work hard and develop professional skills, we can find opportunities to build our future here."

Chen Yuting has also established her life in Hubei — in a different city and through a very different passion.

A cycling enthusiast, she opened Let's Go Coffee in Xiangyang in May 2025, creating a space where local riders could rest, gather and connect. The cafe has since expanded to a second location in the city.

Chen Yuting had long been fascinated by Xiangyang as depicted in the martial arts novels of Hong Kong writer Jin Yong, also known as Louis Cha Leung-yung (1924-2018). When she first arrived in 2024, she found a city that combined a rich historical legacy with the energy of modern life.

Supportive policies for Taiwan entrepreneurs helped, she said. But what ultimately convinced her to settle in a new place in her 40s was the warmth of the residents.

"People here treat others with sincerity," she said. "I feel like a seed that has taken root and is growing here."

When she first opened the cafe, the owner of a local bicycle shop helped her find renovation workers and communicate with craftsmen who spoke only the Xiangyang dialect.

The owner of a nearby beef noodle shop would also add extra noodles to her order and offer her a complimentary bowl of huangjiu, a traditional rice wine.

At her cafe, flavors from both sides of the Strait have gradually come together. This year, she introduced "huangjiu coffee", a drink that combines the local rice wine with preserved plums from Taiwan.

"People in Xiangyang like to pair beef noodles with huangjiu," Chen Yuting said. "So I thought, why not bring that local flavor into coffee, along with a taste of Taiwan? For me, this drink is another way of becoming part of the city."