Wu Chun-chieh, a member of the Mr CaNoe team from Taiwan, could not help expressing his excitement after his team won the championship of the cross-Straits dragon boat race during the ongoing ninth Straits Forum in Xiamen, Fujian province. "The sport is very popular in Taiwan," he said. "I have been in it since my middle school days about 10 years ago."

Together with 30 teams from the mainland, 12 teams from Taiwan, including 14 from universities in both sides, competed in the racing.

Since it was initiated by renowned overseas Chinese businessman and philanthropist Tan Kah-kee (1874-1961), also known as Chen Jiageng, the event has attracted more than 5,000 racing enthusiasts from about 150 Taiwan teams in 10 years.

This year the dragon boat race, for the first time, became one of the sports activities during the forum, along with traditional bridge card games and martial arts.

The annual forum, organized by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and the Fujian provincial government since 2009, is the biggest event centering around cultural and trade communication among youths across the Taiwan Straits.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a news conference in Beijing on June 14 that more than 8,000 people are expected to attend about 30 communicative events in Fujian from June 17 to 23.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the mainland establishing non-government exchanges with Taiwan, Ma said.

The forum facilitates cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation in culture, education, medical and legal services and business, he said.

Sub-forums on the internet and finance, as well as other activities including innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, a youth leadership campus and recruitment fairs, will also be held during the forum to attract more young people and help professionals from Taiwan to find jobs or start their own businesses on the mainland.

In addition, it was announced during the opening ceremony of the Matsu cultural festival - part of the forum - that the golden statue of Goddess Matsu will begin her second journey from Fujian's Meizhou town to Taiwan in September, after the first 20 years ago.

Lin Jinbang, chairman of the board of the Meizhou Matsu ancestral temple, said Matsu was a belief shared between the mainland and Taiwan, bridging the two sides in more communications.

In 1997, the statue traveled around Taiwan for 102 days, when more than 10 million people paid homage to it.

"I came to Putian of Fujian province to worship the Goddess Matsu as a way to find my own roots here," said Wang Chao-chieh, a college student from Taiwan, at the Goddess Matsu cultural week held from June 12 to 18.

Different from previous sessions, this year's cultural week targeted youth by holding exhibitions of their artwork, entrepreneurship exchange meetings and urban experience activities in Putian.

Chen Chun-leung, a manager from Hungkuang University of Taiwan, said face-to-face communication helps to promote understanding between young people from the mainland and Taiwan.

chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn