Cross-Straits Chinese character of the year unveiled

Chinese character "和",meaning harmony

"He" (和, meaning harmony) has been voted as the cross-Straits Chinese character of the year 2015, according to organizers.

It was selected by more than 7 million netizens from among 38 characters, including "An" (安, meaning safety), "Wo"（握,meaning to hold or grasp）,"Qing"（青, meaning blue or green）, "Zhuan"（轉, meaning to turn or change）and "Chuang"(創, meaning to innovate or create).

The character "He" won 433,722 votes, followed by "An" with 425,549 votes and "Wo" with 408,872 votes, in an event organized by Taipei-based Want Daily and Xiamen-based Haixi Morning Post.

Chen Weiming, deputy editor-in-chief of Haixi Morning Post, said harmony as an important virtue has long been cherished by people of the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

He also said the mainland's "Belt and Road" initiative as well as new free trade zones in places like Fujian and Guangdong mean huge development opportunities for Taiwan in the process of economic transformation.

Huang Ching-lung, president of Want Daily, said the character represents people's expectation for the peaceful development of cross-Straits ties.

He also said it is a historic breakthrough for leaders from the mainland and Taiwan to meet this year.

After announcement of the character, 17 famous calligraphers gathered and wrote it down with Chinese brushes.