Taekwondo players from the mainland and Taiwan exchange skills at Chenzhong Primary School in Pingtan, Fujian province, June 12. [Photo/ptnet.cn]

The Cross-Straits Taekwondo Contest opened in Pingtan, Fujian province on June 13.

About 400 contestants in 30 teams from both the mainland and Taiwan are participating in the contest.

The young players are divided into two categories – individual and group – and will compete in various disciplines, including poomsae and taekwondo dance.

In order to build friendship between young people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, the players were invited to the Chenzhong Primary School for taekwondo and cultural exchanges upon their arrival on June 12.

The cross-Straits players exchanged taekwondo skills, tasted Pingtan specialties, and even learned each other's dialects at the school.

The contest is an annual event that began in 2012 and has been held for four consecutive years in Pingtan. This year the event became part of the sports sub-forum of the eighth Straits Forum, which upgraded its status to a higher level.

Gao Yun, an official of the local social affairs bureau, said that inclusion into the forum resulted from the area's continuous efforts to promote taekwondo among local teenagers and its rich experience in hosting taekwondo events.

Local authorities are working hard to make Pingtan an important city for taekwondo events and to boost cross-Straits sports communication through them, Gao added.