Shanxi offers bases to boost cross-Straits ties

The famed Donghu Vinegar Cultural Park and Jinci Museum in the Shanxi provincial capital of Taiyuan now have their new identifications in addition to their original status as tourism destinations.

They were added to the list of "Shanxi's bases for exchanges with Taiwan" on Dec 22. The North China province now has a total of five such bases targeting cross-Straits cultural exchanges.

Donghu Vinegar Cultural Park is a major tourist attraction in the city of Taiyuan featuring the exhibition of intangible heritage of vinegar production.

Shanxi is the top producer of matured vinegar in China. And Shanxi-made matured vinegar is also well sought-after in the East China province of Taiwan.

Back in 2015, Donghu Vinegar Cultural Park opened an exhibition hall in the Taiwan county of Miaoli, featuring exhibitions relating to vinegar production and the farming culture in Shanxi.

Officials at the park said the Miaoli exhibition hall has also grown into a major platform for promoting Shanxi's vinegar and other local produce to Taiwan.

The Jinci Temple, a major part of the Jinci Museum, is a historical and cultural site offering fine examples of ancient Chinese architecture, sculpture and inscriptions.

First constructed during the Northern Wei Dynasty (368-534), the temple stands in memory of prince Ji Yu of the Western Zhou Dynasty (c.11th century-771 BC) on the site of his kingdom's capital, a monument to his commitment to improve the lives of his people.

Expanded over subsequent centuries, the temple has a diverse collection of more than 100 sculptures, bridges, terraces and buildings. Most of the temple's dozens of buildings were built after the Tang Dynasty (618-907), primarily using wood, tiles and stone.

As Jinci is regarded by many as a treasure trove of ancient Chinese culture, it has been a favored destination among tourists from Taiwan and holds a unique position in cultural exchanges between Shanxi and Taiwan.

Other bases for exchanges with Taiwan include the Guan Gong Temple in Haizhou township of Yuncheng.

Guan Gong is a reverential term of address for Guan Yu, a general in the period spanning the late Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) and the Three Kingdoms (220-280). And Haizhou was the hometown of this famous general.

Known for his exceptional valor and loyalty, he was deified as Guandi or Emperor Guan centuries after his death. The worship of Guan is popular throughout China, especially in his home province of Shanxi and southeastern provinces like Taiwan.

A highlight of Guan Gong-related cultural exchanges was a tour of the Guan Gong statue from Haizhou to Taiwan in 2013, which aroused excitement among Taiwan residents.