As China's 2026 Spring Festival travel rush reaches its peak, innovative cultural initiatives are fostering connections across the Taiwan Strait through shared ancestral heritage. Major transportation hubs in Shanghai, Fujian, and Guangdong have become impromptu cultural centers this week, hosting surname-themed activities that attracted thousands of travelers, including numerous Taiwan residents.
The 'Talking About Family Names, Celebrating the Chinese New Year' program transformed high-speed rail stations into interactive cultural spaces. Travelers engaged in traditional surname tablet rubbings, received personalized calligraphy works, and collected family name gift bags containing historical information about their ancestral roots.
At Xiamen Railway Station, a special exhibition allowed passengers to create keepsake rubbings of ancient surname tablets. Hsieh Jui-feng, a Taiwan resident from Kaohsiung participating with his wife, described the experience as "a tangible link to our shared history." The couple meticulously preserved their family name rubbing made while traveling between Xiamen and Zhangzhou.
Event organizers emphasize these activities aim to strengthen cultural identity during the world's largest annual human migration. "Family names carry centuries of collective memory," explained one cultural coordinator. "By reconnecting people with their ancestral stories, we're building bridges that transcend geographical boundaries."
The initiative comes as cross-strait cultural exchanges continue expanding in 2026, with Spring Festival celebrations serving as a key platform for people-to-people connections. Analysts note such grassroots cultural programs are increasingly important in maintaining historical ties between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan region.
