Taiwan carnival arrives in Shanxi

Even though it's not exactly close to Taiwan, the city of Datong, Shanxi province, in northern China, held a Taiwan carnival during the National Day holiday to give its people a little taste of Taiwan and its culture and food.

The carnival, Sept 26 - Oct 7, took place in the Parkson Shopping Center Square and the organizers asked some experts to come make Taiwanese specialties for the locals. These included tea from Ali Mountain and Sun Moon Lake, nougat, and many other snacks that are popular at night bazaars.

The event was arranged by the national Taiwan Affairs Office Datong branch, and the Shanxi Zigui Straits Trade Co, to try to establish cultural exchanges and economic cooperation with the island and was a good opportunity to experience some of the folk culture and customs across the Straits.

There were many Taiwanese companies taking part and bringing along more than 400 types of Taiwanese goods. The organizers said that it brought in at least 10,000 people from around the city who came to pick up some goods, bringing in more than 6 million yuan ($1 million) in revenues.