One hundred students from eight cross-Straits primary schools together recite the poem by Lu You, an ancient patriotic Chinese poet from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival on June 25. [Photo/WeChat account: tzfb001]

The second Taizhou-Taiwan Juvenile Dragon Boat Recital event kicked off on June 25 in celebration of Dragon Boat Festival, according to local media.

The festival is held in China to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet from the State of Chu during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC).

One hundred students from eight cross-Straits primary schools came together online to recite a poem by Lu You, an ancient patriotic Chinese poet from the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

It was the second time that a fifth grader surnamed Huang from Taiwan had taken part in the activity. He said that he had made the acquaintance of many peers in Yuhuan, a county in Taizhou, when he attended last year, and he had stayed in touch with them via social media over the past year.

Huang noted that participating in the activity with them again is just like gathering with old friends and it feels really good.

However, for Shi Yiran from Kanmen Haidu Primary School in Yuhuan, she felt a little sorry that she could not communicate with the Taiwan participants face-to-face. Shi expressed her hope that next year, they will be able to invite them to Yuhuan for the event, and she will be able to entertain them.

The activity, part of the series of events for Taizhou and Taiwan students to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival together, was organized by Yuhuan Cross-Straits Exchange and Cooperation Association and guided by the Taizhou Cross-Straits Exchange Association.

At the Dragon Boat Festival last year, Yuhuan successfully hosted the first such event, which saw hundreds of cross-Straits students recite classic ancient Chinese poems together under the Pu'an lighthouse in the city.

Yuhuan is close to Taiwan not only geographically but also in people-to-people exchanges. In 2009, Damaiyu port in Yuhuan opened a direct route to Taiwan, which has delivered more than 200,000 passengers to date, greatly promoting various exchange activities between Taizhou and Taiwan.