China Taiwan Province (ROC): News, Discussions & Images

[TaiShang]

ROC reaffirms sovereignty in South China Sea

• Publication Date: November 3, 2015
  

Located 1,600 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung City, Taiping Island is the ROC’s southernmost territory and the largest of the South China Sea’s Nansha Islands. (CNA)

The South China Sea islands, as well as their surrounding waters, are an inherent part of Taiwan territory, and the government will safeguard the nation’s sovereignty and maritime rights in the region, the Cabinet said Nov. 2.

Exercising full rights over the Dongsha (Pratas), Nansha (Spratly), Shisha (Paracel) and Zhongsha (Macclesfield Bank) islands, the government does not recognize any claim to sovereignty over or occupation of these areas by other countries, irrespective of the reasons put forward or methods used for such claim or occupation, according to the Cabinet.

“Any arrangement or agreement regarding Taiping Island [Itu Aba] or other islands in the South China Sea and their surrounding waters that is reached without ROC involvement or consent shall have no legal effect on the nation, and shall not be acknowledged by the government.”

The Cabinet’s statement was made in response to a ruling concerning a Philippines-mainland China arbitration case issued Oct. 29 by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Netherlands. The Philippines argues in a 2013 petition to the PCA that mainland China’s territorial claim over the South China Sea is unfounded under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Commenting on this case, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Philippines has not invited the ROC to participate in its arbitration with mainland China, and the PCA has not solicited the nation’s views on this matter. “Therefore, the arbitration does not affect the ROC in any way, and the ROC neither recognizes nor accepts related awards.”

According to MOFA, Taiwan maintains a permanent presence on Taiping, the largest naturally formed island in the Nansha chain. It has been garrisoned by the nation’s military since 1956, with a defense zone established in 1990. For the past six decades, ROC military and other government personnel have been based on Taiping, qualifying it beyond dispute as an island under the UNCLOS.

“Furthermore, whether from the perspective of history, geography or international law, the ROC holds legitimate rights to the South China Sea islands and surrounding waters,” the ministry said, noting that they were first discovered, named and incorporated into national territory during dynastic Chinese rule, and the ROC recovered its territories in the region after victory in the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945).

Citing the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which entered into effect April 28, 1952, as well as the Treaty of Peace between the ROC and Japan signed the same day, MOFA said various international legal instruments confirmed that the islands and reefs in the South China Sea occupied by Japan during the war should be returned to the ROC.

“In the several decades since, the fact that the ROC exercises effective control over these islands has been recognized by foreign governments and international organizations.”

MOFA said Taiwan is willing to work with all parties concerned under the framework of President Ma Ying-jeou’s South China Sea Peace Initiative, proposed in May 2015, to ensure peace and stability as well as conserve and develop resources in the region.

“The government is committed to safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty, shelving disputes, pursuing peace and reciprocity and promoting joint development in the South China Sea,” the ministry added.

“We urge all countries and territories bordering the South China Sea to respect the spirit and principles of the U.N. Charter and UNCLOS, while exercising restraint and refraining from taking any unilateral action that might escalate tensions.” (YHC-CM)

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When it comes to sovereignty of the Greater China territories, Taiwan and the Mainland are one and the same. Peace-loving is one thing, sovereignty is another.

 

[TaiShang]

And lots of developments and greater integration/unification on the economic side:
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Cross-Strait economic co-op highlighted at business summit
2015-11-3 13:58:14

Economic cooperation across the Taiwan Strait should be expanded in scope and boosted to a higher level, said Zeng Peiyan, president of the Chinese mainland-based Council of the Zijinshan Summit, on Tuesday.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the 2015 Zijinshan Summit for Entrepreneurs across the Taiwan Strait, Zeng proposed the two sides further open up their markets and support cooperation between small and medium-sized companies.

The mainland and Taiwan need to support young people to engage in innovation and business start-ups, jointly explore third party markets and enable the Zijinshan Summit to play a unique role in promoting cooperation, Zeng said.

The mainland economy, with its fundamentals remaining good, has great potential for growth, despite increasing risk of an economic downturn, according to Zeng.

"The mainland policy of enhancing opening up and supporting cross-Strait economic cooperation will not change," he said.

Zeng called on the two sides to cherish hard-won peaceful development on the basis of the 1992 consensus and offer "more patience and effort" to boost continued economic cooperation under new circumstances.

Vincent Siew, president of the Taiwan-based Council of the Zijinshan Summit, said he expected the two sides to make joint efforts to create new prospects for cross-Strait economic cooperation and promote industrial upgrades at a time when cross-Strait economic cooperation is at a crucial turning point.

More than 800 business leaders, industry and commerce group officials and economists from both sides participated in the two-day event, which is being held in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu province.

The participants will sign cooperative contracts and announce a shared initiative on the concluding day of the summit on Wednesday.

The Zijinshan Summit was first held in 2008. In 2013, the mainland and Taiwan each set up councils dedicated to the event.

 

[TaiShang]

Taiwan Business Hopes to Benefit from New Plan
2015-11-05

Zeng Peiyan, president of the mainland-based Council of the Zijinshan Summit for Entrepreneurs across the Taiwan Strait, addresses the opening ceremony of the 2015 Zijinshan Summit in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Nov. 3, 2015. The summit will include forums focusing on macro-economy, energy, finance, information and home appliances, start-ups and small businesses, among others. [Photo: Chinanews.com]

Entrepreneurs from Taiwan are said to be looking forward to new opportunities on the mainland given the plans to support for small and medium-sized businesses and start-ups as part of the new 5-year plan.

As part of the new 5-year plan, the mainland leadership is promising more is going to be done to allow average people from Taiwan benefit from more cross-straits cooperation.

Zhong Shuling with the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises in Taipei says this pledge is encouraging, especially for small business owners on the island.

"Previous polices have been widely criticized for only benefiting large-scale companies, leaving nothing for small and medium-sized firms. These new polices are aimed at giving a priority to smaller operations. It's really a response to the growing voice from the people of Taiwan, and we are grateful for that. "

Zhong Shuling has made the comments while in Nanjing to attend the Zijinshan Summit.

This is a gathering of entrepreneurs from both the mainland and Taiwan designed to promote cross-strait trade.

This year's discussions are mainly focused on the ways to encourage small and medium-sized businesses and young people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to work together to help promote the cross-strait economic cooperation.

Zeng Peiyan heads the mainland-based Council which sponsors the Zijinshan Summit.

"Small and medium-sized companies are critical when it comes to employment. Cooperation across the Strait should focus more on these companies, giving them more opportunities and financial support. Young businessmen are the driving force of cross-straits relations. Both sides should be making it easier for startups to get financial and technological support."

Lin Huiying from the General Association for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Taiwan says entrepreneurs on the island should be looking more toward the mainland as an area to grow and develop.

"We hope Taiwan's small and medium-sized enterprises can take better advantage of the fast development of e-commerce on the mainland when tapping into cross-border trade. Authorities from both sides can establish joint projects to promote young business leaders."

The Zijinshan Summit itself first began in 2008.

It includes sub-forums on a variety of topics, such as the macro-economy, energy and finance.

This year's session has attracted more than 800 business leaders and leading economists from the two sides.

The Silk Road initiative and the amalgamation of industries are also a topic of discussion.
The Zijinshan Summit is due to conclude on Thursday.

 

[TaiShang]

Poll: Xi-Ma meeting wins strong applause in Taiwan
November 11, 2015

Several opinion polls in Taiwan have showed supporters outnumbered critics for the first meeting between cross-Strait leaders in 66 years.

The latest poll made by TVBS, a Taiwan-based news channel, showed 55 percent of the 1,026 respondents in the survey considered the meeting between Xi Jinping and Ma Ying-jeou in Singapore "conducive to cross-Strait peace and development," eight percentage points higher than before the meeting.

Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Ma Ying-jeou during their meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, Nov. 7, 2015. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)


Meanwhile, 47 percent of those surveyed supported Ma's meeting with Xi, 20 percentage points higher than those against it.

Another poll conducted by the Taiwan Competitive Forum, a local think tank, showed that 42.6 percent of the 1,069 surveyed residents supported Ma meeting Xi, while 37.5 percent were against it. The rest remained neutral.

The think tank's poll showed 63.6 percent of respondents supported a regular meeting between leaders across the Taiwan Strait.

In an earlier poll conducted Saturday by the Kuomintang (KMT), the island's ruling party, 46.1 percent of the 736 respondents supported the Xi-Ma meeting, 25 percentage points higher than those against it.

An online survey by tw.yahoo.com, a popular gateway, showed one of the highest support rates at 68 percent.

Chiu Yi, a board member of Taiwan Institute of Economic Research, said that opinion polls done by various agencies have produced similar results.

"Supporters of the cross-Strait leaders' meeting far outnumbered the opponents," he said. "A majority of Taiwan residents have acknowledged the significance of the Xi-Ma meeting, the significance of peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, and the significance of the 1992 consensus for stabilizing and developing cross-Strait relations."

"That's the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan," Chiu said.

 

[oproh]

Finally, great to know that majority of Taiwanese supports further strengthening of relations between Taiwan and China since it will only have positive impact not only for Taiwan's economy but for other fields as well.

 

[Jlaw]

Nothing special bro. KMT is a doomed party trying to rejuvenate itself. KMT supporters need any support they can get.

DPP in 2016 will be interesting. They will test China's mettle with playing the "independence card". Indeed should be interesting year in 2016.

 

[TaiShang]

Books bridge the cross-Straits divide
By Peng Yining (China Daily)Updated: 2015-11-23 08:36



People browsing at one of Eslite's stores in Taipei. The Taiwan bookstore chain will open its first mainland branch in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, at the end of this month. TAO MING/XINHUA


The growing popularity of personal stories written by authors from Taiwan is prompting greater understanding on both sides of the Straits, as Peng Yining reports.

In his memoir Once Upon a Time in Taiwan, writer Liao Shinchung, a 38-year-old former store assistant from the island, described his first encounter with a mainland resident, on an airplane in early 1990s.

He wrote: "There was a popular saying at that time in Taiwan: 'People in the mainland are very poor, so they only eat banana skins'. After a short chat with the man, I carefully tossed in a question. 'I heard ... well ... you all eat banana skins?' The man from the mainland banged the armrest with his hand and cried out: 'I heard people in Taiwan all ate banana skins!' We had a good laugh together, and then pondered the mystery, 'Who ate the banana?'"

As Liao explains in his book, many Taiwan residents gained their first impressions of the "communist mob" on the mainland from illustrations in textbooks that showed big, fat communists, with cigarettes dangling from their mouths, whipping people in the mainland.

For Liao, those impressions were shattered when he was a middle school student and he saw photographs of Zhou Enlai, China's first premier.

"I couldn't believe it. (The photos) made me seriously confused. Shouldn't they look big, fat and obscene? I couldn't believe a member of the 'communist mob' could have such a look of righteousness. At that moment, my values almost collapsed," he wrote.

Liao's stories, which interweave tales of his daily life with major social events in Taiwan, including its rocky relations with the mainland, provoked a sensation when the book was published in the mainland in 2009. It quickly sold more than 1 million copies. Last year, he published a sequel, and has followed up with two more books about Taiwan this year. All three have made a similar splash.

In his first book, Liao wrote about his daily life, from pranks, such as throwing firecrackers into the toilet as an elementary school student, to his experience of serving in the army. In addition to personal stories, the second half of each chapter－one per year from 1977 to 2009－described major news or changes on the island during the year in question, including the death of Chiang Ching-kuo, the leader of the Kuomintang and son of Chiang Kai-shek, and the opening of Taiwan's first foreign chain restaurant store.

@AndrewJin , @cirr , @Chinese-Dragon , @bobsm , @TheTruth et al.

 

[TaiShang]

Alipay tests water in Taiwan market with newly-activated mobile wallet
December 13, 2015

The blue poster of Alipay's "Double 12" shopping campaign was hung high at the entrance of Taipei's busiest shopping street Ximenting Saturday, welcoming mainland tourists whose mobile phones carry the company's payment application.

The posters, with the big notice of 50-percent discount, were also seen at glass windows and cash desks of several bakeries, pharmacies and souvenir shops along the street.

This was the online payment giant's first commercial campaign since it activated the mobile payment service two weeks ago in the island. It offers mainland customers a quick and easy payment in Taiwan, with the instant exchange between New Taiwan dollars and Renminbi, though still banned from doing business with Taiwan shoppers.

At a shop of Vigor Kobo in Ximenting, a local bakery chain store, the cashier enthusiastically mentioned the Alipay service to customers and a large number of them took out their mobile phones for her to scan the QR code.

"This is brilliant. The cashier typed in New Taiwan dollars and my account showed the cost of Renminbi, not mentioning the discount," said Li Mingyue, a Beijing girl drawn into the store by the discount poster.

Studying in a Taipei university, Li told Xinhua that sometimes she would miss the convenience of mobile wallet as Taiwan has not offered similar services.

"Once scan, I feel quite at home," she said.

A lady surnamed Wu from southern Chinese city of Shenzhen was seen downloading the Alipay's application in front of the cash desk.

"I use Alipay at home but did not install it on my mobile phone. Who would expect it can be used in Taiwan?" said the lady who preferred not to give her full name.

He Wan-cheng, general manager of Vigor Kobo, told xinhua that mobile payment is quicker than credit cards, which saves customers a lot of time and trouble.

"About 65 percent of our customers are mainland tourists. At busy hours, people have to queue up long for cashing. Using mobile payment, customers do not need to sign, which speeds up the process," He said.

Not only famous chain stores, small vendors at night markets have also signed up for the service. A snack stall selling spring rolls, which has opened for more than six decades in Taipei's Ningxia Night Street, has had its first QR code since Dec. 1.

"I do not need to give changes and the payment goes directly to my bank account. That's convenient," said Lin Chiu-yun, the stall owner. About 70 vendors at the night market have offered the payment method.

According to Ant Financial, Alibaba's financial service affiliate that operates Alipay, about 3,500 Taiwan businesses, including department stores, supermarkets, street vendor associations, chain stores and telecom firms, have signed up for the service since its official launch on Dec. 1.

The increasing number of mainland visitors to Taiwan offer a huge business opportunity for Alipay as well as local small business, said Ray Gu, director of Ant Financial Global Business-Taiwan, at a press conference earlier this week.

Last year, about 3.22 million mainland tourists visited the island, an annual increase of 47 percent. The number reached 3.11 million in the first nine months of this year.

Introducing Alipay to Taiwan can also be a good chance for the island to promote digital payment, said Winni Liu, executive vice president of Digital Business Department of E.SUN Bank, Ant Financial's Taiwan partner.

"Many local business, especially small ones, are conservative about digital payment. Now, in order to attract mainland customers, they began to use Alipay and get used to the service. Later they will be more open to other local payment platforms," she said.

Unlike booming e-commerce and digital payment business in the mainland, many Taiwanese still prefer cash and off-line shopping.

"The digital payment market in Taiwan is of great potential as about 70 percent of transactions here are still through cash," Gu said.

Taiwan authorities issued a regulation on digital payment in May, considered as an official approval for the service. A number of local banks and payment platforms are preparing their own mobile payment services.

Gu remained cautious about expanding business into local transactions, pledging that Alipay will not pose a threat to local digital payment service providers.

 

[TaiShang]

Hotline goes live across Straits
By Jiang Jie Source:Global Times Published: 2015-12-31 0:53:01

1992 one-China Consensus reemphasized in first conversation

A hotline between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan was officially put into operation on Wednesday as chiefs of cross-Straits affairs from both sides affirmed the achievements made in promoting cross-Straits ties under the 1992 Consensus in their first conversation on the line, said a mainland spokesperson.

Ma Xiaoguang, with the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a Wednesday press conference that both sides have been further implementing the 1992 Consensus after a meeting between Mr Xi Jinping and Mr Ma Ying-jeou last month. Many achievements have been made in this regard, according to the conversation between the office's director, Zhang Zhijun, and Taiwan's mainland affairs chief, Andrew Hsia.

The mainland and Taiwan agreed to set up a hotline between the chiefs of cross-Strait affairs from both sides during the historic Xi-Ma meeting in Singapore on November 7.

Zhang and Hsia also exchanged New Year greetings during the conversation, Ma said, adding that the hotline will facilitate communication on important cross-Straits issues to enhance mutual understanding and trust and maintain a common basis and correct direction for the development of ties.

"The hotline will guarantee a direct communication between the two chiefs and will better get their message across while avoiding misjudgment," Hu Benliang, an expert on Taiwan studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Business warned

Ma maintained the mainland's support and encouragement to cross-Straits communication and cooperation in various fields for mutual benefits, but also reiterated that the mainland will never tolerate "a small number of people who make money on the mainland with one hand and support separatist activities to undermine cross-Straits relations with the other."

The mainland announced new measures to ease restrictions on Taiwan investment. From January 1, 2016, 24 sectors, including advertising, packaging, and clothing, will be open to individually owned businesses from the Taiwan island.

The mainland has been welcoming businesses from Taiwan in recent years as it tried to warm up the cross-Straits ties via all-channel communication, Hu said.

"Taiwan businessmen have been growing reliant on the mainland market which offers many opportunities and losing this big market will incur great losses," Hu noted.

Hu added that Ma's remark may also serve as a warning to all as the island's regional election draws near. "Businesses should be aware that severed cross-Straits ties will also jeopardize their own interests in the mainland."

According to the Taipei-based Want Daily, a delegation of ruling Kuomingtang (KMT) party members and supporters recently called for Taiwan businessmen in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province to vote for the KMT and some 700 Taiwan businessmen reportedly voiced their support. The opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is widely believed likely to be the victor in the upcoming election.

At the Wednesday conference, Ma also noted that adhering to the 1992 Consensus is the common political ground for the mainland and Taiwan. This has brought about peaceful and stable relations across the Straits as well as substantial benefits for people on both sides.

Ma also stressed that the core of the 1992 Consensus is "one China" principle and their relations are not "country-to-country."

 

[TaiShang]

Mainland, Taiwan Unveil Comprehensive Version of First "Joint Dictionary"
2016-01-11

A staff shows the cross-Straits Common Vocabulary Dictionary in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, on Jan. 8, 2016. [Photo: Chinanews.com]


The Chinese mainland and Taiwan have published their first jointly compiled dictionary, with the aim of enhancing cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the two.

The dictionary, named the cross-Straits Common Vocabulary Dictionary, includes more than 80,000 commonly used Mandarin Chinese words and phrases.

Li Xingjian is the mainland's editor-in-chief of the joint dictionary:

"Finding the difference is not our ultimate goal; we aim to eventually eradicate differences and let the Chinese language truly become one."

The Chinese language has evolved differently in Taiwan and the mainland due to historical reasons.
Yang Du, a Taiwanese scholar who participated in compiling the dictionary, says the dictionary will help promote "an in-depth communication" between the people.

"We are talking about more than just language, but a broader cultural exchange, and an in-depth communication between people of different mindsets and mentalities. This project will contribute to that."

Meanwhile, scholars from the two sides are working on a joint Chinese dictionary of science and technology, which is expected to hit the market in 2018.

 

[oprih]

Positive developments like this is needed to speed up China-Taiwan reunification.

 

[TaiShang]

Positive developments like this is needed to speed up China-Taiwan reunification.

Exactly, bro! Solid, well-calculated steps are being taken toward unification on both ideational and material realms. It is a process with an end-goal.

 

[TaiShang]

Annual dragon boat race held in China's HK

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People watch a dragon boat race in Tai O, south China's Hong Kong, June 9, 2016. Tai O held the annual dragon boat race on Duanwu Festival on Thursday. [Xinhua]

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People watch a dragon boat race in Tai O, south China's Hong Kong, June 9, 2016. Tai O held the annual dragon boat race on Duanwu Festival on Thursday. [Xinhua]

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People watch a dragon boat race in Tai O, south China's Hong Kong, June 9, 2016. Tai O held the annual dragon boat race on Duanwu Festival on Thursday. [Xinhua]

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People take part in a dragon boat race in Tai O, south China's Hong Kong, June 9, 2016. Tai O held the annual dragon boat race on Duanwu Festival on Thursday. [Xinhua]

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People watch a dragon boat race in Tai O, south China's Hong Kong, June 9, 2016. Tai O held the annual dragon boat race on Duanwu Festival on Thursday. [Xinhua]

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Photo taken on June 9, 2016 shows a dragon boat in a dragon boat race in Tai O, south China's Hong Kong. Tai O held the annual dragon boat race on Duanwu Festival on Thursday. [Xinhua]

People watch a dragon boat race in Tai O, south China's Hong Kong, June 9, 2016. Tai O held the annual dragon boat race on Duanwu Festival on Thursday. [Xinhua]

 

[TaiShang]

South China's Taiwan observes Dragon Boat Festival with racing, shows
Xinhua, June 9, 2016

Residents of South China's Taiwan celebrated Dragon Boat Festival on Thursday with cultural events and races of the traditional longboats as their four-day holiday began.

Dragon Boat Festival is observed on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, June 9 this year. Dragon boat racing originated from the fishermen who tried to save Qu Yuan, an ancient Chinese poet who committed suicide in the Miluo River in central China, and has become the centerpiece celebration of the festival nowadays.

A race held on Thursday in a park along the Keelung River in Taipei attracted 212 teams and more than 5,000 people.

"Dragon boat racing is a Chinese custom, which makes us feel heart to heart and that we are one family," said Jeffrey Lu, a member of one racing team. "We should pass down the tradition."

The event attracted a large audience, including children accompanied by parents. "It is the third time we have come to watch the annual event," said a man surnamed Huang from New Taipei City, next to Taipei. Huang and his wife brought their two kids to watch the race.

In another area of the park, families played a game that involves trying to balance painted eggs on their ends. Locals believe successfully doing so at noon on this day will bring them good luck.

Dance performances and free tasting of zongzi, pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in reed leaves, were held elsewhere in Taiwan.

Taipei Zoo has opened a special exhibition of snakes, scorpions, centipedes, toads, spiders and geckos -- animals traditionally, and often erroneously, considered poisonous in China. There is a Dragon Boat Festival custom of hanging aromatic herbs on doors and window frames to keep them away.

The annual exhibition is designed to raise awareness that these animals are not as dangerous as people might think, said a keeper.

Villagers prepare for Dragon Boat Festival
By Sun Tao and Guo Yiming

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Local villagers compete in a dragon boat race in Guangzhou, capital of China's southern Guangdong Province, on June 6, three days ahead of the festival. [Photo by Sun Tao / China.org.cn]

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Local villagers in Tianhe District of Guangzhou, capital of China's southern Guangdong Province, prepare for the Dragon Boat Festival by organizing a dragon boat race, a Chinese traditional water sport which has been gaining popularity across the world, on June 6, three days ahead of the festival. [Photo by Sun Tao / China.org.cn]

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A local villager displays a dragon head, a typical decoration for a racing canoe, before the dragon boat race held in Tianhe District of Guangzhou, capital of China's southern Guangdong Province on June 6, three days ahead of the festival. [Photo by Sun Tao / China.org.cn]

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A race shows the colorful decoration of a dragon-shaped canoe before a dragon boat race begins. Local villagers of Tianhe District in Guangzhou, capital of China's southern Guangdong Province, prepare for the Dragon Boat Festival by organizing a dragon boat race, on June 6, three days ahead of the festival. [Photo by Sun Tao / China.org.cn]

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Racers carry dragon boat decorations on board before a dragon boat race in Tianhe District of Guangzhou, capital of China's southern Guangdong Province, on June 6, three days ahead of the festival. [Photo by Sun Tao / China.org.cn]

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Racers get ready to compete in a dragon boat race held in Tianhe District of Guangzhou, capital of China's southern Guangdong Province, on June 6, three days ahead of the festival. [Photo by Sun Tao / China.org.cn]

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Racers, accompanied by rapid drumbeats, pull the oars harmoniously, speeding toward their destination in a dragon boat race held in Tianhe District of Guangzhou, capital of China's southern Guangdong Province on June 6, three days ahead of the festival. [Photo by Sun Tao / China.org.cn]

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A spectator cheers for the racers during a dragon boat race organized by local villagers in Tianhe District of Guangzhou, capital of China's southern Guangdong Province, on June 6, three days ahead of the festival. [Photo by Sun Tao / China.org.cn]

 

[TaiShang]

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A racer cheerfully goes ashore after a dragon boat race held in Tianhe District of Guangzhou, capital of China's southern Guangdong Province, on June 6, three days ahead of the festival. [Photo by Sun Tao / China.org.cn]

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A street cleaner takes her grandchild to watch a dragon boat race held in Tianhe District of Guangzhou, capital of China's southern Guangdong Province, on June 6, three days ahead of the festival. [Photo by Sun Tao / China.org.cn]

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A racer's legs are stained with fragments of firecrackers after a dragon boat race held in Tianhe District of Guangzhou, capital of China's southern Guangdong Province, on June 6, three days ahead of the festival. [Photo by Sun Tao / China.org.cn]

Giant pandas enjoy special treat in Duanwu


A giant panda lies comfortably next to a colorful wooden dragon boat and nibbles at a bamboo shoot at the Yunnan Wildlife Park in Kunming on June 6, 2016. [Photo by Liu Ranyang/Chinanews.com]


Two giant pandas enjoy themselves next to a wooden dragon boat at the Yunnan Wildlife Park in Kunming on June 6, 2016. [Photo by Liu Ranyang/Chinanews.com]


This giant panda is fascinated by the wooden dragon boat and bamboo shoots at the Yunnan Wildlife Park in Kunming on June 6, 2016. [Photo by Liu Ranyang/Chinanews.com]


Giant panda He Xing licks his paw after a delicious meal at the Yunnan Wildlife Park in Kunming on June 6, 2016. [Photo by Liu Ranyang/Chinanews.com]


This giant panda is fascinated by the wooden dragon boat and bamboo shoots at the Yunnan Wildlife Park in Kunming on June 6, 2016. [Photo by Liu Ranyang/Chinanews.com]