Travel and visiting
In 1987, Taiwan opened the door for people on both sides of the straits to return home to visit relatives. In 1988, more than 437,000 people from Taiwan visited relatives on the Chinese mainland. The number has increased year-by-year. Since 2008, when Taiwan opened its doors to Chinese mainland tourists, the number of cross-Straits visits has doubled.
In addition to opening to tourists, the Chinese mainland's treasured giant panda also embarked on a journey to Taiwan.
In April 2005, the mainland decided to give Taiwan a pair of giant pandas as a gift. On the morning of December 23, 2008, giant panda "Tuan Tuan" and "Yuan Yuan," which means "reunion" in Mandarin, left Ya'an Bifengxia Panda Base and arrived in Taipei Zoo.
"Tuan Tuan" and "Yuan Yuan" first met the public of Taiwan in January 2009 at the Taipei Zoo. Tens of thousands of people rushed to see the cute pandas, sparking a panda craze in Taiwan. The zoo also took the opportunity to sell a large number of panda souvenirs, including T-shirts, dolls, and stationery.
According to the Taipei Zoo, many mainland tourists also visit the two pandas when they come to Taiwan.
